"Arrowe Park Hospital Maternity Ward"

First of all my wife and i went to the midwife appointment at 10:00am at the Moreton Practice and we seen our midwife and as always she was great and done everything she was suppose to and she sent us up to Arrowe Park Hospital as my wife had bad swelling and had very high blood pressure and also had protein in her urine which we was thinking it possibly could be Pre-eclampsia.

The department we were told to go to was Fetal Medicine.

ARROWE PARK HOSPITAL:

We then arrived at Arrowe Park Hospital at 10:40am and we checked in at Fetal Medicine and right away we had terrible service, we were waiting by the door for a member of staff which had seen us waiting there but answered phones that started ringing minutes after us arriving instead.

We then got seen to then waited a short while then a lady midwife who wore dark blue and white came over and started the tests on my wife and she was ever so nice.

GOING HOME OR STAYING IN:

After a few tests and long waits we then noticed that other people were popping in who we hadn’t even dealt with and telling my wife she may have to stay in overnight and then we saw a senior house officer who told us my wife wouldn’t need to stay in, then we waited a long time again and then a female popped her head around and said take these two tablets which my wife refused as we didn’t even have a clue who she was or anything as again she wasn’t the person we had been dealing with and if that’s the case then it’s so easy she could have even been given the medication to the wrong person so that’s another reason we refused the medication and as she was leaving she told my wife she would be being kept in overnight, so at this point I had had enough of people telling us different things along with being left for so long in between people dealing with us.

So I spoke to the female (I didn't get her name as your badges are really small) and I said why do we keep getting told different things, and to my astonishment she total spoke over me to my wife and then walked away, you really wouldn't think if was the father of the baby and that she is my wife, so as any person would be, I was now not happy in the slightest.

We then had a Registrar come and see us who did not speak very good English and they said my wife would have to stay in and my wife didn't really want this so asked if there was anything we could do from home and they said no as they need to take blood pressure readings every 4 hours. I said we could do that as we have a blood pressure machine and for some reason they started laughing so me and my wife just looked at each other like we had said something wrong. I think our machine will be more correct than your own as it is brand new and a very top of the range model. Anyway after the amusement from us they went off and we had another 45 minute interval.

We then spoke to another lady who hadn't even been dealing with us said it did look like we would be going home so at this point i asked for all the names who had dealt with my wife today as I wanted to make a complaint. We were asked to go into a room called “The Quiet Room” and she told us she would get someone to come and speak to us about the complaint.

When sitting down in this room we could not believe the mess all over the floor and food crumbs and other food items all over the floor along with black marks all over the chairs, we was left waiting again for over 45 minutes, then a female member of staff arrived and we told her all the problems we had been through and the cross information we had been given.

And she then clarified my wife would be wanted to stay overnight and she said it would only be till the morning, and what would be done is blood pressure checks every 4 hours an her words where, my wife would need to put all her urine into a big bucket for checks to be made on how much protein there was in her urine.

My wife wanted me with her and this staff member said they could let me stay the night with my wife and it wouldn't be a problem so my wife was really pleased.

MATERNITY WARD:

We arrived at the Maternity Ward with this staff member and she showed us to a room. They even took the time to show us around the room and how things work and she then went to double check about if it was OK for me to stay and shortly later she came back and said it was fine and it was open visiting in that department and there was two baby trolleys in the room which she told us would be moved shortly but never did until the next day.

I then left my wife to get the bus home to get all her things from home and I arrived back shortly in the evening, and my wife's mother arrived around 45 minutes later and as she was walking to the ward she was being told again and again by different members of staff that visiting had ended which we had been told different but once she was in the Maternity Ward the staff where great and didn't say a thing about no visiting.

My wife's mother left for her bus about 20:45 and myself and my wife settled down for the night as it had been a very long day, we was then waiting for her second blood pressure check which was half an hour late which was funny as we was told it was so important my wife stayed in the hospital because monitoring her was essential but this lateness implied it was not.

MIDWIFE COMPLAINT:

The third blood pressure reading was suppose to take place and yet again it was left till 15 minutes later and a female came in and said hello to my wife but totally blanked me as if i wasn’t there, which isn’t good when its “our” baby and “my wife” she is treating, she then asked my wife if she knows her from some place, which My wife replied no.

And she then started taking her blood pressure and then told my wife that she would get the CTG machine and put that on my wife, when she left the room myself and my wife said to ourselves that this was not mentioned and that the reason why my wife was being kept in is to have her blood taken every four hours and for her to urinate in a big bucket and medication twice a day and that is all that was supposed to be happening but now other things where being done but not the things that we was told about, and my wife had not even been given her second lot of medication which was due.

So we then waited and the midwife returned. she did with the machine and then she asked my wife if she had the straps for the machine, which my wife said no, and then she went off again, but we don't know why she asked if we had straps when it is your machine and it wasn't even in our room to start with, she really did seem very confused and not aware of what was going on.

We then waited 55 minutes for her to return and when she did I asked her why the machine was being used as this was not the plan for my wife and the reason she was being kept in.

And I could not believe her attitude she turned to me and laughed and said “don't you want me to check your baby is ok” so I said I hadn't said that what I am asking is why is things being carried out but the things we have been told would be done haven't... And again she said she was checking the baby and asked if there was a problem with that.

I was utterly stunned at her attitude towards me. I felt she was turning things around on what I had said, my wife then stepped in and said we have had so many people telling us different things and wrong things all day and my husband just wants to know why other things are being done instead.

She then asked if she wanted me to take this way in what I felt was a terrible attitude.

At this point she was really annoying us as she just could not answer our question. I felt this staff member was being irate and patronizing with us both and at this point my wife was crying

I personally told her that she was being very patronizing for no reason and we do not need to put up with this type of thing here, and she started leaning over the bed and said I was a very angry person.

After she had said that I said no I am not we have had such a long tiring day here being messed about and told different things by different people and people who are not even dealing with us telling us things that are incorrect really annoys you after a while and now all I am asking you is why is other things are being done that we was not told about but the things we were told about are not being done.

And to my astonishment she then said yet again that I was angry and asked why.

I told her to forget it and I would contact Len Richards about this, and she turned around told me her name then asked if we wanted someone else to deal with my wife, I just looked at my phone and my wife said no we don't mind the machine being on her.

She was muttering to herself the whole time in our room while setting the machine up “I will get someone else to see to you after I have done this” and she was saying it again and again more than 6 times and this also made me think that there was something wrong as I think this is not normal behavior especially from a midwife.

When all that was going on I had also mentioned about the staff member who said that my wife would need to urinate into a big bucket but she did not know anything about this and she kept bringing that up saying I haven't been told about it. I then felt she was being sarcastic to us and saying she would have to find out about this “special bucket” as if it was something she didn't want to look into.

LEAVING THE HOSPITAL:

At this point it was 11:35pm and I wasn't happy at all and decided to leave and go home as I felt like I was nobody, when I left for my bus my wife told me a female staff member attended the room and asked if everything was OK so my wife told her everything but she never mentioned if the midwife would be dealt with.

BEING SENT HOME:

My wife has now been told at 12:05pm that she can go home but will need to wait for her medication first, but it is now nearly 4pm and nobody has even been back with her medication. I do not think this is good especially as my wife was told she would need to be kept in, my wife had to wait for a bed as she was told there was no beds for her.

In my opinion your department and hospital are very slow in getting the medication to patients, I know you may just blame the pharmacy department but either way it is not right leaving people waiting this long.

CONCLUSION

My wife and I want to make sure that when we do come in to have our baby that the midwife who dealt with us does not have anything to do with us at all.

For my job I have been on many training courses including management conflict and I don’t think anyone should say the words “you are an angry person” to anyone especially in a professional role.

Once I got home I phoned my wife and she said she was even worried in case she came back in, and I am sure you will say the same no patient should be feel like that, especially in a maternity unit.