Scan referral -Midwife ballsed up - what do I do?

[Luckystar1]

Can anyone help me with how to proceed please?!

I'm 11 weeks tomorrow. I saw a midwife at 8 weeks who filled in my referral to the hospital for scan and booking in.

The referral has not been received by the hospital and it wasn't scanned on to my GPs system so they can't fax it.

I've been trying all week to get in contact with the midwives (based at a different hospital) to send the form, but after countless promises, it still hasn't been sent.

I am at my wit's end. I've fallen between the cracks and will not be able to get booked in or scanned until someone (but who?!) gets their act together.

How to I proceed?! Please help!

[Luckystar1]

In mostly concerned as I wanted the nuchal test and will not likely not be within time frames (and I know I can get the quad test, I did with DS, but I feel that isn't the point)

[Mermaid36]

Place marking, cos I'm in a similar-ish position...

Booked in on 23rd December. Currently 11+1 and no scan date yet, because apparently the hospital has a backlog, from no one doing any paperwork/appointment bookings for the last two weeks.

Hospital said they can't guarantee my scan will be in the time frame for nuchal testing and they probably won't send a letter out. Have been advised to ring in a week (!!) and see if they have got to my paperwork.

[Luckystar1]

At least you're in the 'system' mermaid (of little actual benefit I know!) but I've just been lost!! So bloody irritating!

[strangerjo]

How rubbish. Try contacting the PALS department and complaining. I think persistently hassling anyone in the maternity department might help. I'd probably turn up there in person and ask to speak to someone. If that fails, maybe talk to your gp and see if you can get a referral to another hospital for it. And if none of that works out, could you pay privately? Expensive but might be worth it. Good luck.

[ClemFandagoDoesTheTango]

Something similar happened to me. In the end my GP referred me. Could you phone your GP surgery and see if they will do the same?

[Luckystar1]

Yes I think we're going to pay privately in any event. I'm just so frustrated that I have been effectively left without clinical care!

My DH rang last night and got a similar run around but he did manage to get the lead midwife's contact details so she'll be getting a call later.

[Mermaid36]

Yeah, I plan to do some phone calls today to the hospital and midwife....it annoys me that I'm having to do the running around for it. The process is crap (and people keep comiserating me on having to deliver at that particular hospital, because the admin side is known to be rubbish).

Lucky - I think ringing around as much as possible to hospital/midwife/GP might be a plan

[Luckystar1]

I've tried everything but we're stuck because our GP doesn't do referrals, the midwife is only at the practice on a Tuesday, the hospital the midwives are based at is about 40 miles from where I live and I have a 1 year old, so I can't just turn up on a whim, and the midwives never return my calls!! I'm completely at a loss.

[madsaz76]

This happened to me. I paid for a private scan and nuchal because I could spare the cash and didn't want the stress. They then picked me up quickly when I finally got through and would have been in time but my private scan was a much nicer experience than the NHS one.

lucky star if your GP won't help and you can't get anywhere with community midwives phone number then the 2 things I would try is the supervisor of midwives at your hospital and PALS at your clinical commissioning group CCG - usually gets a response. ..

[Luckystar1]

Thank you Mad I have the number for the supervisor so will ring this morning. I'm just loathe to get off on this footing! I mean, I'll do it, but I was actually considering a home birth but feel that that isn't even an option now as I've lost so much trust in them - at the first bloody hurdle too!

Thank you for your help.

Mer I hope you have some luck today!

[Luckystar1]

Oh and Mad where did you have yours privately? I'm considering the Fetal Medical Centre although it's not awfully convenient!

[Angelik]

does your hospital have an early pregnancy clonic (or similar name)? this is where you would go in early pregnancy if you thought miscarriage was happening or screening for conditions (both mum and baby) which need to be done at an early stage. you can usually just call these clinics and go in immediately. it's really not on to have a backlog.

[waxweasel]

So sorry you're having such a crap time of it - I've had some awful experiences with maternity admin so I sympathise.

I just wanted to say we had an early scan at the Fetal Medicine Centre and they were absolutely brilliant. We have a 32 week one booked for next month. I'd definitely recommend them - they are so knowledgeable and compassionate.

[waxweasel]

Also, I'm planning a home birth. I am assured that generally it's the more capable midwives you get at a homebirth but just in case (and following an awful experience with hospital midwives with DD, which has left my confidence in them at nil) I have also hired a very capable and experienced doula to be my advocate and kick them into line if I need it.

[Luckystar1]

Thank you wax. I have DH on the case now as he gets less emotional than me! I either go quiet or go mental - neither are helpful at this juncture!!

Good to hear about the FMC I might give them a call now and see how we stand. It's a bit of a chore for us to get there but likely worth it!

So you know if you can bring DC? DS is 1 and we have no one to leave him with.

Good luck with your home birth. A few of my friends have had them and they were very positive experiences! My first birth was very straightforward but I fear I won't be so lucky this time!

[NicoleWatterson]

I had the same, than had the same after birth, than had the same with the health visitors. We just got missed every time.
I truly understand your worries, but try not to worry. I used to just turn up at a and e if I was concerned in the early days (I hate over use of a and e what else could I do?).
One day when I realised my scan was very very late I just turned up at the hospital, had a wobbly and waited until they could fit me in that day.

I'm always the one whose meal is forgotten in restaurants too!!

[Luckystar1]

Oh god Nicole that sounds hideous! It's just completely negligent in my eyes. And believe me, I'm not quick to shout that.

[NicoleWatterson]

That one was my first so i didn't know what i was doing, what i should be doing or when. I look back with real sadness at that time now. He nearly missed his immunisations, it was only when a friends daughter who was three months younger than mine went for hers that i realised he should have had his.

It is negligent, had everything not been ok I obviously would have been screaming from the roof tops. These checks are there for a reason, ok most of the time things are ok and they are just checks. But they wouldn't do them if there wasn't good reasoning.

I hope you get it sorted soon, all else fails (I appreciate it is difficult with a 1 year old in tow!) find out when the midwife appointments are and just pitch up at the doctors / hospital and wait until you are seen. It seems bonkers no one can refer you

[Luckystar1]

Oh god that's just terrible. I know what you mean. I was so lucky that my first was smooth so I know how it's meant to be.

DH just spoke to the lead midwife who is trying to contact my midwife. I don't know why she can't just do the referral. It's a completely ridiculously backwards system.

If this happened in my line of work it would be done 1 nano second after the boss got off the phone!

[waxweasel]

So ridiculous! Glad you have DH on the case. Mine is also much better than me at that sort of thing. We're both bureaucrats so used to navigating shit processes, but when it's about me personally I also do the go quiet/go mental thing. He's much more tactical and persuasive.

It might also be worth you sending an official letter of complaint to the Trust. If it were me, I would include that you consider the loss of your original referral (it didnt reach the hospital, so where is it???) to constitute a failure to protect your personal data, and therefore a breach of the data protection act 1988, and that you will be filing a complaint with the information commissioner's office if they don't locate the referral and enter it into the system within x days. Basically, you need to take it over your midwife's head, get a bit shitty with them (in an administrative sense!) and make them worry that you're going to cause a lot of paperwork if they dont just do your referral and ensure you get a nuchal scan within the necessary dates (I'd state in the letter that that is the outcome you want).

Oh and the FMC are very happy for you to bring other children along. My DD (who is 2.5) didn't come to the early scan, but she'll be with us for the 32 week one and they said it's fine x

[Luckystar1]

DH got it sorted! He's an actual legend!

But I just have to wait for the letter from the hospital with the date (like they couldn't just bloody tell me on the fecking phone!) AHHHH!!

At least they know I exist!!

Thank you all muchly for your help. I may still go to the FMC so thank you for all the info.

[waxweasel]

Hooray! Well done DH!

[Noodledoodledoo]

Chase on Monday - I have never had a letter from the hospital for scans - always told it was on its way but......

I only ever got letters for appointments I had arranged myself!

[Luckystar1]

It would send you batty wouldn't it?! I'll give them until Wednesday, I'm nice like that, then operation harassment part 2 commences!