Queen Charlottes v. Chelsea & Westminster

[aquasea]

Hi everyone,

I just found this site and am desperately hoping someone might be able to help me. I am 15 weeks pregnant with my first baby. So far it's been a nightmare - I got a pulmonary embolism, was in hospital and now have to inject anticoagulants twice a day. I have been cared for by C&W hospital but have found the NHS system there horrific (lack of patient care, almost impossible to see any consultants, bumbling errors etc etc). I was told by the Ostetrician at C&W that I would have to give birth in a big NHS teaching hospital because I am "high risk". He went on to say that the NHS maternity wards at C&W are "zoos", that I would be horrifically sleep deprivied and that the experience of being on the public ward would be "intensely distressing" and that I would have to stay in hospital longer than normal as my risk of clotting is much much higher after giving birth. I am so upset and worried about this. It sounds like hell. I was wondering if anyone has any experience with C&W they could share with me. I have heard good things about Queen C's. Any info on this would be gratefully received as well. I just feel like I can't get any help from doctors, midwives... I feel trapped and very alone. Please help!
Thanks
xx

[Piffle]

not been there myself but I have heard some horrific stories about C+W

[Piffle]

some old threads
here

and here

[uwila]

I had DS at QC a year and a half ago. The team in theatre (planned section) were fab. The midwives after were pretty mediocre. But, sounds like what you need is a fab medical tem. I highly recommend QC. Never been to C&W. I've heard mixed reviews.

Are youplanning for a vaginal or caesarean delivery?

Good luck.

[aquasea]

Thanks so much for the responses. Wow, those threads are horrifying!! Seems like the obstetrician wasn't exaggerating. Not many people seem to have had good experiences with C&W. When I was in the medical emergancy ward for my PE the hygiene was appalling - I assumed this wouldn't be the case in the maternity ward... seems that it is.

Uwila, apparently the last thing they would want to do on me is a C-Section because my blood will be thinned on anticoagulants so its vaginal delivery unless absolutely necessary.

I am just petrified about the whole thing!!

[wombat1]

Avoid C&W like the plague - I tell everyone I can and this is why. My sister gave birth there 18 months ago. She was induced, left alone for hours, then had 2 changes of midwife and then after a few hours of reasonable, supervised, active labour, the midwife could not detect a solid heartbeat. She did nothing for an hour, subsequently saying she thought the baby was just moving around. When she finally did start to realise something was wrong, she did not use either of the 2 emergency buttons to call the doctor - she left the room and got another midwife. They then took 20 more minutes to deliver and my sister's perfect, little boy suffered terrible brain damage and died after 36 hours. A postmortem found that he was a normal, full-term little boy and in all likelihood just compressed the cord as he moved. A professor at the hospital has said that if a doctor had initally been called he would have had an emergency delivery within 3 minutes and been most probably suffered no ill effects.

After the birth they could not deliver the placenta so left my sister alone (with her husband and baby in the NICU), without a call button in a dark room for an hour - subsequently stating that they thought she needed some quiet time - she could so easily have bled to death.

There has now been 18 months of investigation, numerous documents produced, 17 statements of 'substandard' care, yet no apology. The midwife involved has had 'time to reflect on her actions' in the words of one report and is still working there. My sister and her husband continue their quest for an admission of responsibility and changes to the C&W system.

Midwives have since told my sister about the dirtiness of C&W, the shortage of staff, the lack of post-natal care and advise anyone to leave as soon as they can.

The only good thing I can say about C&W is the counsellor my sister and her husband see every week in an effort to come to terms with the loss of their only child.

[PrincessPeaHead]

my mother is a gp in chelsea.
I had my two 1st children there 8 and 6 years ago, it was fine.
However since then she has heard horrific stories from there, from patients on her list, including one maternal and baby death and two other baby deaths. In each case when the family asked for the medical notes to try and work out what went wrong, the notes were "lost".
My sister had a baby 18 months ago and my mother wouldn't let her go to C&W. She went to St Marys (couldn't get into charlottes when she asked at 8 wks, because its list was "closed" for her month - it was almost bankrupt at the time, don't know if that has improved now).

So I think Charlottes over C&W any day, but possibly consider St Mary's over Charlottes.

hope that helps

[DingDongDraculaOnHigh]

i had a vile time at C&W too.

Avoid it like the plague

[beansprout]

I went to St Mary's as I couldn't get into QC, as again, the list was closed. Certainly seems to be the most popular hospital in these parts! C&W sounds horrific.

[twickersmum]

if you don't manage to get into QC, go for Kingston. It was absolutely fantastic. But again, very popular so you need to get in there fast.

[Carameli]

If you don't get in with QC's I would also second going to Kingston. I had my dd there 3yrs ago and am going back there in a week or so for imminent arrival. They are often very busy so get in quick as you can. The had a little scare last weekend and the care I received was really brilliant and caring, turned out I was just dehydrated. But they never made me feel as though I was wasting their time even though the midwives in delivery were rushed off their feet.

[aquasea]

Thank you all so very very much. I can't tell you how much i appreciate your responses. I have been so anxious and upset about everything and really felt that I had nowhere to turn for help. What is supposed to be a happy time (having our first baby) has so far been horrible...but I feel a lot more positive now that I have all this information. I have decided that I will avoid C&W. I will have a look at QC and SM.
Wombat1 - your sisters story is so horrific. My heart goes out to her and her husband. Not only do they have to suffer such a loss but the fact that its due to negligence and noone will take any responsibility is just beyond appalling.
Nurseyjo - thank you so much. I agree with you about gut instinct. My instincts have been telling me not to stay at C&W but everyone I spoke to there basically told me its my only option... put up and shut up sort of treatment. Being a midwife - do you know if I will be able to have a waterbirth having had this PE and being on high dose anticoagulants?
Thanks again everyone. You really are stars.
xx

[HoHoHorsewoman]

My sister was born in Queen Charlotte's and I was born in Chelsea & Westminster (when it was St Stephen's), so obviously it has to be Chelsea and Westminster

[HoHoHorsewoman]

I'm sorry if I sounded flippant, I wasn't trying to be That'll teach me not to read the whole thread.

Hope everything goes well whatever you decide, my thoughts are with you.

[PrincessPeaHead]

aquasea I think the best advice that anyone can give you for the whole of your pregnancy AND birth is ALWAYS listen to your instincts, even when people (often highly qualified people) are dismissing them.

In this birth business people are so quick to say "I'm sure everything is fine" and often it is, but if you have a gut feeling that something is wrong then insist on changing it/getting it looked at/whatever. You really do have to insist on things when you are pregnant and giving birth - just when you are at your least emotionally able to insist - but by insisting that gut instincts get dealt with lots of heartbreak would be avoided.

Insist on going to another hospital if that is what your gut says. Just be bloody minded about it and tell them (if necessary) that even if they won't put you on their list you WILL come to them in advanced labour and they will have to deliver you then (so they may as well register you now!)

Best of luck.

[PrincessPeaHead]

Oh my other piece of advice is NEVER take the advice of a Senior House Office (SHO), who will be on a 6 month rotation and may well be only 2 days into it (ie he/she knows considerably less than most of the midwives), and NEVER take the advice of a Registrar if you aren't entirely sure about it. You can always insist on seeing a Consultant, and in most cases you should. Both in antenatal care and in labour.

Mke it your DH's job to be the bolshy one if you haven't got the energy.

Sorry to be so insistent, but the aim is to get the baby out as efficiently and safely as possible and to do that in the NHS these days you have to be really on the ball...

[aquasea]

Thank you so much, Princess. I have showed DH your message so he knows that he has responsibility here too. I am just going to have to steel myself for the fact that I am going to have to fight for things. I can't tell you hoe much I appreciate your advice.
AS xx

[peacemakeruk]

aquasea, I've had a blood clot with this pregnancy and am being looked after by QC, they are pretty good so far. I don't get seen in the antenatal department but up in the medical clinic. I'd recommend them. Me too with injections - twice a day

[Plibble]

I had my DD in June. Originally I was booked to go to Chelsea and Westminster but changed to QC after I heard some terrible things (including from some medical types). They managed to fit me in when I booked at about 16 weeks. My experience of QC wasn't great - I think my labour wasn't managed too well, and the postnatal care is the usual London rubbish. Having said that, I did have a few issues towards the end of my pregnancy with my bp (they were very worried about pre-eclampsia) and the doctors at QC handled it very well and always erred on the side of caution, which is what you want if something could go seriously wrong.
As you need to have a vaginal birth, and that will be managed by the midwives, I recommend that you make as clear a birthplan as you can. I didn't and sorely regret it. I have heard very good things about St George's in Tooting and my sister (a doctor) reckons that if she had serious medical problems in pregnancy she would go to St Thomas' so those two might also be worth a look.

[Willow2]

Wombat - my heart goes out to your sister and I agree totally with the views you've expressed. I spent 9 days at C&W after birth of DS and could quite happily taken myself out and shot myself by the end of it. Foul, filthy place staffed by a couple of good midwifes and a lot of extraordinarily poor ones. Auxiliary staff took being crap to a new level.

[Judy1234]

I had a private midwives who went into the hospital (not those two) to deliver which is quite a nice option if you can afford it.
www.birthcentre.com/what_we_do.htm

It may seem silly if you have a complex birth ( I was having twins planned hospital birth) but to have the same care at home etc throughout and then doctors on hand in hospital if we needed it was great. But it has to be a hospital they have a contract with which allows them in to do the birth and may be your complexities would make it beyond their remit.

[FrostyTheSnowMarsLady]

And you can always look into getting a doula for the continuous care DoulaUK

[breadandroses]

Aquasea,
I have had one baby at QC and they were absolutely fantastic. My pregnancy was very easy, and I had dd in the birth centre there so have no experience of consultants etc, but certainly every member of staff who dealt with me were excellent. Have heard mixed stories about SM, the bad ones mainly to do with aftercare- horrendously busy wards/staff etc. Good luck and hoping you are well looked after.

[breadandroses]

forgot to add I had a one-to-one midwife- highly recommended as you are receiving continuity of care with someone who knows your history, and you don't feel quite so alone in a sea of busy medics!

[aquasea]

Thank you all so much. I am looking into Doulas and private midwives (two things I had never heard of before!) to see if these might be good options for me.

Peacemakeruk... I would love to chat further with you. Is this your first baby? How far along are you? How are the injections going? It is so nice to hear from someone in the same boat. When I was admitted to C&W with my clot at 11 weeks, they made it seem like they had never seen anyone pregnant with this before and they hadn't a clue how to deal with me!

Lots of love to you all. xx