Hi everyone. We are first-time parents who are planning our baby's birth at Royal Berks. I came across this recent article this morning (dated 24 June 2014): www.getreading.co.uk/news/local-news/health-watchdog-tells-royal-berkshire-7314016.
The quote that concerns me is: "Inspectors found midwifery staffing levels were insufficient to provide a consistently safe service. They were particularly concerned by the number of staff for the amount of beds in Rushey Ward, the midwife-led maternity unit, and felt it had the potential to have a serious impact on women giving birth.
The report said: “Women were, at times, left unobserved in waiting areas whilst midwives attempted to find them a bed on the delivery suite.”
The CQC told the trust immediate action was required here – and the trust took action to close two beds to improve safety."
Who has experience with the RBH labour / delivery / midwifery units? Is this something you dealt with? Are women likely to be left waiting, have their birth plans seriously changes or have some degree of risk added to their deliveries as a result, or are your personal experiences largely different?
Cheers all.