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AIBU?

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Original poster

To make a complaint against midwife who turned me away

252 replies

Toobloodytired · 19/03/2017 14:26

So yesterday, I was feeling a bit worried as baby had gone a little quiet, his movements had reduced (not stopped), I've been staying with a friend in her area which is outside of where I normally receive my usual pregnancy care.

I tried to ring the hospital to get advice but after so many calls I had to go in.

Saw a healthcare assistant who asked if I had an app and my name, told her my name & said no, then very rudely replied with "well I'm still going to need your name aren't I!"

So I firmly replied with "I just told you my name was .....".

She went off to speak with the midwife right outside the door, midwife was asking a lot for of questions & finally came in to see me.

She then told me that I had to go back to the hospital who normally deals with me as they don't have a computer system & know nothing of me, I informed her I brought my notes which would tell her everything they needed to know.

She told me it didn't matter Hmm

She then "advised me to go to my hospital of care"

I asked "are you telling me you won't check to make sure the baby was okay?

She then repeated "I advise you to go to the hospital who usually deals with you".

I then very firmly asked again, "so you are turning me away & wont monitor me?"

Her reply?

"Yes, we are a bit busy too".

She turned me away, told me to go to the hospital I usually deal with even though I explained I was completely out of area, she then lied & said my notes made no difference, which is shite. Then told me I had to leave even though I was concerned about my sons movements.

I'm 36+2 btw.

OP posts:
phoenixtherabbit · 19/03/2017 14:57

And to everyone saying you can't just turn up - well you can. But really yes you should ring the department you want first but you don't need an appointment as such.

SaskiaRembrandtWasFramed · 19/03/2017 14:58

The midwife shouldn't have been rude, but you can't just turn up at a hospital department and expect to be treated. That's not how the system works. Why didn't you go to A&E or a drop in centre? They could examine you and refer you on if necessary.

TheDisillusionedAnarchist · 19/03/2017 14:59

Complain, it's unacceptable. I might complain about her to the NMC too. As a midwife you see anyone who needs to be seen. In a non emergency you might refer back to the booked hospital if this would be safer for the patient but for reduced fetal movements near term out of area you would certainly see.

phoenixtherabbit · 19/03/2017 14:59

Do not take the advice above and go to a&e when what you need is monitoring by a midwife. I imagine you would have probably got an even more rude response!

Princessdebthe1st · 19/03/2017 14:59

Dear OP,

You need to complain formally about this. To turn away a high risk woman without at least examining you is inexcusable. You turned up to a maternity triage and they didn't triage you. My current role is in patient safety and I would want this investigated before this lack of care ended in a devastating outcome.

CoolCarrie · 19/03/2017 14:59

Surely the hospital has a duty of care to you wherever you are.

WorraLiberty · 19/03/2017 14:59

What does OC stand for?

ToffeeForEveryone · 19/03/2017 15:00

Did you tell them you have obstetric cholestasis? That plus reduced movement and your weeks, she should definitely taken you in for monitoring.

I'd complain.

llhj · 19/03/2017 15:02

Why are so far from home if you've got OC and are being induced in a few days? That's v strange. You need to stay near the hospital, that's important.

toobreathless · 19/03/2017 15:02

Totally unacceptable of them not to see/assess you.

And I DO understand about the pressures, I'm a doctor.

JustSpeakSense · 19/03/2017 15:02

Perhaps she took the right decision, if they were too busy and you were experiencing movement...however, the way in which she and the receptionist spoke to you definitely warrants a complaint, you were worried enough to go in and at the very least you deserved some support and reassurance.

I hope you and baby are doing well Flowers

LonnyVonnyWilsonFrickett · 19/03/2017 15:03

My midwife told me midwifery is an acute service and you can and will be treated wherever you are (I went on holiday while in the later stages of pg). That's why you get your notes to take around with you. Definitely complain OP. I hope all is well with you and the baby now.

Princessdebthe1st · 19/03/2017 15:05

You can't just turn up at any hospital, maternity or not, and expect treatment. That's just the way it is. You have to go through the correct channels and it doesn't sound like you didn't Actually for maternity emergencies you can do exactly that. You use them in the same way you do A&Es and go to the one closest in an emergency. They should assess you and then decide if they should discharge you, admit you or refer you back to your home unit. But they must assess you first.

Jacarandatree · 19/03/2017 15:06

It was inappropriate for them to turn you away without assessing you. I hope you and baby are fine.

SaskiaRembrandtWasFramed · 19/03/2017 15:07

"Do not take the advice above and go to a&e when what you need is monitoring by a midwife. I imagine you would have probably got an even more rude response!"

I had had be admitted to hospital during all my pregnancies, in three different parts of the country. On each occasion I had to either be referred by my GP or go in via A&E and be examined by an obstetrician or midwife. The system does not allow for people to just pitch up on a hospital ward and be treated.

confuugled1 · 19/03/2017 15:07

Surely you would go to a&e and they would assess you, then they would send you to maternity, rather than going straight to maternity. Think you would have had a lot more success if you had done this rather than gone direct. It might be that your local maternity unit expect people to turn up in your situation and thus that seems the obvious thing to do but there are some hospitals where they don't have that set up so at least if you saw somebody in a&e you would have seen somebody without going home.

TheCuriousOwl · 19/03/2017 15:08

I'm sort of on the fence about this.

If you are booked in London and you had an unavoidable trip to a friend in Leicester and you presented at the unit as an emergency then they should see you. (I say unavoidable because tbh I wouldn't think it's a good idea to travel unnecessarily when you know your pregnancy is high risk and this baby is going to come out at the earliest opportunity).

If you live in Clapham and you are staying with a friend for the weekend in Muswell Hill and you pitch up at the local unit I would say YABVU and just go to your booked unit. Without knowing that info I can't say if YABU or not really.

I don't think it warrants her being rude.

Ecureuil · 19/03/2017 15:08

You can't just turn up at any hospital, maternity or not, and expect treatment. That's just the way it is. You have to go through the correct channels and it doesn't sound like you didn't

This isn't like someone breaking a leg, bypassing a&e and turning up in the fracture clinic asking for it to be plastered. Maternity assessment units are there to assess people in pregnancy if there are any issues. If she'd turned up to A&E they would have told her to go to MAU... it's not their remit.

ADishBestEatenCold · 19/03/2017 15:10

How far were you from your own area, OP?

Where did you finally get checked?

On the face of it, it does sound as if they were neglectful, but I suppose a lot depends on distance. Yes I know, you would have gone home if this were the case Grin but if you were half an hour from your own hospital and they were so busy triage turnaround was an hour, then that might have explained their decision (but not their attitude).

Hope you are okay.

Mouikey · 19/03/2017 15:11

Absolutely complain, I too cannnot abide frivolous complaints against an overstretched NhS, but you have done what all pregnant women are told to do - get checked when there are changed to foetal movements. My baby went into disco rave mode, she was normally a busy girls but went into overdrive one day. We were told to go into get checked (all fine).

We are told to have our notes with us at all times in case we are out of area and need to get checked.

There are some amazing midwives out there but like in any profession there are some (sadly) who aren't. A complaint will ensure that others who present from outside the area won't be turned away.

Hope all was ok and good luck for your birth

Ecureuil · 19/03/2017 15:11

The system does not allow for people to just pitch up on a hospital ward and be treated

The MAU isn't a hospital ward!

This might be a simple case of things being different in different areas. I've been pregnant in three completely different areas and in all of them I was told not to go to a&e but to call the hospital MAU in case of reduced movement etc

TheCuriousOwl · 19/03/2017 15:12

But we don't know if it was a maternity assessment unit the OP went to.

Lules · 19/03/2017 15:12

I'm confused about the A&E advice. In both my pregnancies (in different places) Ive been told to is go to maternity triage and not A&E after 20 weeks if there's a problem. Seems really odd to go to a&e

phoenixtherabbit · 19/03/2017 15:12

Why on earth would you have to be reffering by your GP? Especially when you're in a different part of the country.

A&e do not have the staff nor the equipment 99% of the time.

I was admitted twice in pregnancy i rang the maternity unit and they told me to go in.

Like a pp said it's an acute service the whole point is you don't have to go through a&e!

TheCuriousOwl · 19/03/2017 15:14

Some places don't have MAU at all and all triage is done by a midwife on labour ward.

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