How can I change my hospital?

[littlestar]

I'm supposed to give birth at Lewisham Hospital but for various reasons I don't feel it's the right place for me. My GP has told me King's won't accept me (I'm in the wrong catchment area) and has offered to write to St Thomas's. However, a midwife there has told me unofficially that they probably won't take me either. Has anyone else been through this or am I just being too fussy about where I give birth? I'm 30 weeks pregnant, my midwife is no help, and I'm feeling stressed and frustrated by the lack of choice. Is there anything I can do?

It may be worth getting your GP to write anyway. The midwife said ?probably won?t accept you? but you wont know for definite unless you try so could be worth a shot.

Have you tried calling the head of midwifery at your chosen hospital? They might be able to tell you more than an unofficial chat with a midwife.

What about a home birth instead?

Oh yes, what about a home birth? I had both mine at home and there are lots of people here who've done it.

You could ask the NCT if they have any advice. You can find info and details of your local branch on their webpage here

Oh, littlestar, I sympathise in a big way. I went through this very same trauma. But, I started causing a stink when I was about 6 weeks pregnant. I am in the catchment area for St. Peters in Chertsey. I went to my GP (in Sunbury, which is where I live) and told my gp that i didn@t want to got to St. Peters. He said "I'm afraid you don't have a choice." and went on to tell me how it was Blair's fault for telling people they have a choice when in fact they don't. Well, to make a really long story really short, I up and changed GPs to one in Hampton (who is lovely lovely lovely compared to the wanker doc. in Sunbury). She tried to get me into Kingston, and failed. She tried to get me into West Middlesex, and failed there too. So, she asked for my next choice. We tried for Queen Charlotte and Chelsea in HAmmersmith. They accepted me, and I am delighted with the prospect of going there.

Is this your first baby? Why are you unhappy with the current hospital? Do you know how you want to have this baby (vaginally, drug free, epidural, birthing pool, homebirth, caesarean, etc.)

I am now 22 weeks pregnant. My first was born by emergency caesarean at Epsom General (lived in Epsom then). So, I want an elective caesarean this time. One of the reason's I wanted to go to QC and C is that they are fairly agreeable to caesareans if you push for it. They won't be the first to suggest it, but if you really want one, they will book you in to see the consultant at 36 weeks, and if they still can't change your mind, you can have one.

Also, some useful sites for more information:

www.birthchoice.co.uk
www.drfoster.co.uk

WOw, Lewisham does lots of caesareans. Perhaps this is why you don't like them. It would have been great for me. But, perhaps not what you are interested in. Presumably, they wouldn't be so keen on a homebirth, if that is your desire.

Have you tried other nearby hospitals:
Maternity Unit
Births per Year
Induction Rate
Caesarean Rate
Instrumental Delivery Rate
Normal Birth Rate

University Hospital, Lewisham
3218
33%

Nearby maternity units:

Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Woolwich
Kings College Hospital, London
Royal London Hospital, Whitechapel
St Thomas' Hospital
Newham Hospital
Queen Mary's Hospital, Sidcup

You will probably have to be open to other options at this late stage. My approach was no way no how will I set foot in St. Peter's. In return, I figured I had to be willing to accept what I got. I figured if I was too choosey then the GP wasn't going to have much to work with.

If your GP still can't get you into any other hospital, you could always change GPs... or even pretend to move into the are of Kings. Do you have any friensd in the catchment area who would be willing to pretend you lived with them?

You have to beat the NHS at their own game. It is frustrating. But, I believe how where you have your baby ought to be a fundamental right. Why should you not get the care you want when someone else can. National health is supposed to be for everybody.

Okay, I'll shut up now....

Littlestar, I hope you found something helpful in here. How terrible for you is it if you can't change hospitals?

Thanks for all your comments. Yes Uwila, the high caesarean rate has put me off Lewisham but it's also an instinctive/ intuitive thing. I left the ward tour at Lewisham (and Woolwhich) feeling depressed, drained and anxious. Whereas I left Tommy's and King's feeling positive and excited about the prospect of giving birth. So it's highly subjective, and at the risk of seeming naive about all the politics involved, it's incredibly frustrating that I'm having to struggle to get into a hospital where I feel comfortable. I have considered a home birth but I find the prospect a little scary and my midwife isn't very helpful or informative - she seems to say what she thinks I want to hear but hasn't actually done much to help me organise the kind of birth I want. It's not the end of the world if I have to give birth at Lewisham, of course - but I can't shake off the uneasy feeling that it's not quite right for me...

I live in Greenwich and have just transferred from Lewisham to Thomas' (only at 10 weeks) as I had previous problem pregnancies. I would just phone up the ante natal clinic and try to refer yourself there or get your GP to fax a referral through and then follow it up with a nice confident sounding call (from you). Num for ante natal reception is 7188 0678. If you say its making you very anxious, they should listen to you..... Try pitching for the home from home suite at Tommy's as I don't think Lewisham has anything similar....

Or have you thought about st Mary's Sidcup? I don't know where you live but I know a very nice pediatric consultant there...... you could look at it?

Oh Littlestar, I do sympathise - I'm in the Lewisham area and I hated the look of the hospital for my second baby (and a friend of mine said firmly she'd rather give birth in the street) - it's so different from the new King's (I had dd1 in the 'old' King's) or Tommy's, isn't it, and I too was shtscared they'd just get fed up and slice me open. I ended up having a home birth, and if you do* consider that please do CAT me.

One other thing - I'd put good money on the fact Lewisham's pool isn't plumbed in YET (long story). Can you find out (from the hospital directly?) You could argue also that you want a waterbirth.

Do CAT me if you want to, I had a very unhelpful midwife too and I know what it's like to be driven to tears over the whole thing.

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

I'm sorry you found the ward tour at Queen Elizabeth a bad experience, littlestar. The hospital has wonderful staff. I had a stillbirth and a subsequent elective c-section there and despite the place being as chaotic as any NHS maternity unit, my experiences on both occasions were generally positive.
Most people I know with recent experience of Lewisham were on the spectrum of underwhelmed to VERY cross about their treatment, so I do sympathise.

i was allowed to choose my hospital (could have had UCH or Homerton but went for the Whittington) but ended up with all sorts of chaos when I wanted that hospital's midwives to visit me post-section at home..they have to have a licence to operate outside the health authority's boundary (I'm just in hackney) - which sounds a bit like sheriffs in a western movie...but i just cried down the phone a lot at the top midwives at each hospital and they relented. also i couldn't have shared care with my gp's midwives - only appts with a gp which i thought a bit excessive, so went to the hospital instead.

Crying is good, especially big heaving sobs with real tears. Have no shame, Littlestar.

Thanks all. After watching the C4 documentary on Saturday I was inspired to call the Association of Radical Midwives. A very helpful woman advised me that going through my GP is a waste of time and helped me compose letters to Tommys and Kings. The basic gist of the letters is that I want to exercise my right to choose where I give birth. I sent my letters to the Heads of Midwifery yesterday, so fingers crossed that one of them gets the result I want. Thanks again for all your help & advice - if the health service was half as supportive as all the mums and pregnant women I've encountered I'd have nothing to worry about!

littlestar have you contacted the albany practice based at peckham pulse, they are attached to kings, they sometimes have capacity to take on women in lewisham, you can go on a waiting list i did this and at the last minute they offered me a place, one of their midwives spoke on tv programme on saturday and they are wonderful midwives

Thanks Purpledancer, I went on the Albany waiting list a while ago as I've heard such fab things about them. However, since I last posted I have been accepted by St Thomas's and have an appointment to see Deptford midwives next week. I am SO relieved - thanks everyone for the advice & support!!

oooh, Littlestar, a friend of mine worked on that birthing suite at Tommy's and she says she really did model it on the Sanctuary. Do let us know how you get on!

hi there,

I know it's been years since this thread was started, but any chance you're still around littlestar? i'm having the same issue now and am wondering what was in the letter you sent to St. Thomas to get booked in.

Thanks!