Emotional Abuse in the Early Pregnancy Unit

[Hawkie]

I overheard some pretty awful emotional abuse in the Early Pregnancy Unit today and it made me feel really uncomfortable. I was quite jittery and ended up saying something to one of the A and E doctors when I went back through to them.

I'm now doubting I've done the right thing, even though the doctor was grateful. At the time I was off my face on medication and I am really only starting to think about it now the meds are wearing off.

I guess I am wondering if other people would have said something or would have ignored it?

You definitely did the right thing. Lots of hospitals do have ways of giving women a chance to disclose. At my local hospital they have little red dot stickers in the ladies loo in women and children’s out patients that you can stick on your specimen bottle. They also take the women off by themselves at their booking in appointment to do a carbon monoxide test and ask outright if there are any issues.

Oh, I really love the stickers concept. I may actually go and see if we can have this in our A and E toilets.

Would you consider writing a follow up letter, OP, with the information that you gave the doctor? Unfortunately some medical staff (25yrs in the health service) fail to act on information given, by another person.

How’s that actually work though
In the absence of a pt name or identifying collateral how will the other pt be found?
Who’ll go through the case notes or bookings to locate the other pt

You absolutely did the right thing, well done.

The stickers are a wonderful idea, when I was pregnant I remember signs on the back of the toilet doors about what wasn't "normal" and what counted as abuse and there were numbers to call. I always convinced myself tho that things weren't really that bad and would certainly never have called anyone. Pretty sure the midwives knew what was going on the, but having had something simple like that definitely would have helped me!

We have the stickers at our hospital too. They are little inconspicuous coloured dots. You get sent for a urine sample and if you are suffering domestic abuse and want help you can pop it on the pot to alert the midwife.

You did good

It was all could do under the circumstances,and so many would turn a blind eye.

You did the right thing

Yes, you absolutely did the right thing. Wow I love the sticker concept but it also really, Like REALLY saddens me that this option has yo be available??!! Is it unrealistic to hope that one day this sort of thing doesn't exist? So doesn't have to be alerted too? Xxx

*to

Yes, it really saddens me that the sticker thing exists at all - but it's very good that it does.

I remember going to most midwife appointments on my own during pregnancy - DH came to the scans. I was asked several times about dv - but imagine if your partner was with you the whole time? You wouldn't be able to answer honestly at all - there really should be pre-natal time where the woman is alone with a midwife so she is free to declare such things.

But that’s how dv perps behave.its plausible to staff that the caring attentive partner is present
Unfortunately pg is a flashpoint for dv.

PositivelyPERF

I would, but I do know it was passed onto the safeguarding person as I was right there when the phone call was made.