"Could not have expected better"

What I liked

Following repeated admissions for bleeding for a difficult pregnancy, my waters broke at 25 weeks. The staff were brilliant and kept me informed of what was happening and asked both myself and my partner what our opinions were.

I was checked regularly, have many scans, examinations, investigations etc. I felt that they were very thorough.

I ended up having to be transferred to another unit because it looked like my baby was going to arrive before 27 weeks and Stoke can only care for babies born after 27 weeks. The staff explained the procedure for the transfer clearly and upon the transfer everything went smoothly. The nurse who came with me was sympathetic and reassuring.

We were always communicated with clearly - bad news was handled with compassion.

What could be improved

The food is not great, but then this is the NHS and I would rather the money went on treatment/equipment etc.

Patient TVs were poor and the unit would benefit from having the individual bedside pay TVs installed that I have seen in other hospitals. This is especially beneficial on a maternity ward where some stays can be quite protracted.

Unfortunately smokers seem to congregate underneath the windows for the maternity wing. On several occasions in the middle of the night I did shout out of the window for them to smoke elsewhere!

Anything else?

I only have praise for the staff. My baby did arrive very early (at another hospital) and when she was well enough (after 4 weeks) was transferred back to the SCBU at Stoke Mandeville where she stayed for a further 10 weeks. We would not have her if it weren't for the care I received from the maternity services.