Moving to a new hospital - should my current hospital give me a copy of my notes to take with me?

[notasausage]

I'm moving 250 miles to a new area. I had a significant PPH (3 litres+) following the delivery of my first baby and want to be sure my new hospital has all that information to hand before I go into labour with my next DC (will be 19 weeks when I move).

Have been told by hospital MW that it's no problem - that my new hospital will request my notes and they will fax them over. However, the consultant said it can take ages to get the notes transferred and I might have delivered by the time they get them

If you moved what did you do and if you think I should get my notes, how do I go about it? I have my MW notes for my current pregnancy and a copy of my discharge note from the consultant from last time.

[PenguinArmy]

I will be moving and the ob here has offered to let me take my notes (or fax them over, but I don't trust them to get through that way).

I think you should try and get them, can't hurt to ask. I know I will only feel secure if I hand them over myself. If you have problems try and speak to a secretary and get their email address. Then once you've moved you could email fax numbers etc. over to her and ask if she can organise it.

[wobblyweeble82]

I work in a hospital sausage, albeit on the Critical Care Unit. Our practice is to photocopy the notes and send them with the patients to wherever they go. Originals are classed as legal documents so I know in the Trust where I work, we wouldn't hand over originals. If you are under consultant care at your current hospital, I would speak with his or her secretary as Penguin suggests. If you're not under consultant care, just ring your maternity unit and request a photocopy of the notes explaining that is the advice you've had from your new hospital. If they refuse, I'd be ringing them every couple of days to confirm they've been sent over. I had my DS in a hospital 200 miles away in Wales. This pregnancy, I've had more exaggerrated complications that my first, but I know for a fact that my old notes are still in Wales and that there's been many a frantic call between hospitals to find out just how off the rails my body went back then.

HTH :)

[notasausage]

Thanks for your suggestion wobbly. I can be very persistent

[supergreenuk]

I had an investigation done for clotting a number of years ago. When I had my dd they requested the information so they new how to treat me. They never got it.