This AIBU is a lot about letting of steam and organsing my thoughts, but if you can make it through this endless post, I would really appreciate your thoughts.
I am 27 weeks pg with dc2. Having just had a poor experience for the nth time at the hands of the NHS. What do you think I might expect/request for the rest of my pregnancy? I have a meeting on Friday with the relevant head of midwifery where I can discuss these concerns.
Problem: shared care between hospital and GP when the relevant professionals NEVER see each other. And where I am asked not to have bloods done at my local GP but go into hospital as the results will get lost otherwise. What's the point? Am I just a burden they are splitting the cost of, or is this supposed to help me someway?
Problem: seeing a midwife in the hospital where I'd like to give birth. I saw one when I was booked, who was working out her notice and didn't know who I would see next (not specifically who, actually which team of midwives). My next appointment with hospital midwives is actually the head of midwifery as she controls access to the midwife led birth centre I'd like to go to. I carefully booked the date months in advance for Thursday pm when I could get childcare, so I could concentrate on the meeting. It's recently been changed to Friday lunchtime when I can't get care, and I couldn't rebook to another date before Xmas. I'm going anyway with ds1 in tow and fingers crossed I can avoid crying in front of him. Am I just being airyfairy to attempt appointments that work around my life, or should I expect my life to work around the appointments?
Problem: seeing a midwife in the community. I can't. I live in the hospital's catchment area, but not the community midwives for the hospital. Anyone heard of this before? Can it be right?
Problem: seeing my GP for antenatal care. He's nice in that space-cadet overworked fashion medics often are, but every time I see him he asks me why I'm not seeing a midwife. (Answer, because you told me I can't). When I last tried to see him for my 22 week appt, I called 10 days in advance of week 22 but couldn't get an appointment for 5 weeks (ie 25 weeks PG). Wonderfully, he called back and said that it was up to me whether I bothered to see someone else at the surgery, he personally thinks that the 22 week check is mainly meaningless and I could save my effort for the 28 week check. So I didn't bother, especially given I'd just had in-patient care at 20 weeks and knew everything relevant was fine (bloods, BP, fetal heartbeat). Was that irresponsible? I was given the impression today by my endocrine consultant that that was a flaky choice/advice.
Problem: conveyor belt care that doesn't work, part 1. Today I had this endocrinolgy consult (every couple of months these happen). I attend a mixed antenatal clinic where there are 30-40 other women waiting for a variety of services. My notes got lost in the melee, after 1.5 hours I politely asked to reschedule as I had to leave, and was there any chance of just doing my bloods before I left? I was treated as if I was absconding from high security by the HCAs, whipped into see the consultant 10 minutes later and told I looked stressed by her! Cue tears and 'I don't trust the NHS, this is not your problem but I can't stand it anymore' breakdown from me. Did a bit of our consult (no blood test for thyroid function, no time). Couldn't stop leaky eye crying all the way home on the sodding bus. Anyway, is this par for the course, or is it worth a complaint/suggestion letter??
Problem: conveyor belt care that doesn't work, part 2. I was in the neighbouring hospital as emergency admission at 20 weeks when an ovarian cyst popped painfully. I was misdiagnosed with D&V despite lack of D or V, had to argue with 3 people for antibiotics (which worked) and was not given an ultrasound during a 60 hour admission (Sat-Mon). Neither were the two suspected ectopic pregnancies over the ward able to have ultrasounds during that time. I got a scan on the Wednesday from my main hospital: was actually my 20 week scan and the sonographer had a look for me and pointed out the remants of the popped cyst. The fact there was no ultrasound at the weekend for a major teaching hospital with a large maternity unit still leaves me blinking. Any thoughts about this?
Is this all fragmented shite that I should agitate about, on my behalf for now, and later on others behalfs? Or should I gird my loins, get over myself, wax my stiff upper lip etc? I think I am being reasonable when I judge it all - the sweet suffering overburdened individual staff members excluded - a steaming pile of shite.
Some important context:
I enjoyed my last labour despite the fact it was poorly managed by A.N.Other central London hospital - I'm not going back there. They dehydrated me, screwed up a simple induction and discharged DS with severe jaundice. He was readmitted to my current choice of hospital 12 hours later into NICU for 8 days. Guess what I'm saying is - 'aw, but you have a healthy baby' is not a cop out for poor care. I didn't have a healthy baby last time round.
I've only recently stopped working clinically, scientifically and managerially for the NHS after 20 years, and again probably know way too much about how it (doesn't) work.
Thank you for reading all this. War and Peace it ain't.