"Confusing, upsetting and often..."

What I liked

Labour ward staff were excellent, dedicated midwife and prompt action by doctors and consultants as required resulting in a stress free birth for Mother and Baby.

Visiting rules were strictly adhered to, occasionally seemed harsh and short windows but enforced rigidly and impartially.

When the right shifts came on then care was excellent, midwives willing to spend a lot of time with the Mother and baby.

What could be improved

Post natal care in the Maternity ward - Geoffery Hammond Ward. Real problems with some of the staff having little interest in the Mother. More concerned with berating them for failing to feed enough or quickly enough.

Midwives spending most of their shift sat in their office, not bothering to check on patients and only attending when called.

Mugs and feeding devices left for a long time before collection, midwives who feel that helping a mother change sheets is a job left for the auxilliary nurses, who often interact with the patients more than the midwives!

A quiet ward is not an excuse for the staff to hide in the office, checking email and chatting, please, please take the opportunity to check on your patients and see if they need any help rather than waiting for them to buzz for you!

Anything else?

Dreadful lack of communication between departments, some staff never seemed to bother to read the notes leading to them not even knowing how old the baby was!

Some of the midwives are excellent, others really no interest in helping the new mother. This really should be addressed.

Communicate - explain exactly what is happening to the Mother, understand that not every baby is the same and work with them to find a solution rather than trying to push them out of the door as quickly as possible.

Unless you are prepared to pay for a private room, privacy is limited to the curtains which are not always respected by staff.