Beckenham appointment confusions & emergency contact

[LauraT17]

Hi,

I am a first time Mum to be (almost 13wks) and moved to Beckenham this year. I had my booking in appointment at Beckenham Beacon, dating scan at Kings College and am planning on having the baby at PRUH.

I was told during my booking in appointment, that my midwife appointments would be at my local GP. It also says on my notes that my next midwife appointment should be at 16weeks...
Now I don't know whether this is something I have to book in directly with my GP? Or if I will receive a letter about the appointment, like I have with my others?
It's probably obvious but with all the different locations, I don't feel I have one point of contact to check with.

Also I never received any sort of contact number, should there be any emergency issues? Is that common?! I popped into my GP's and they said I should have been given one at my booking in appointment and they didn't have that information to give me at the GP surgery. I'm just completely confused who I would need to speak to if there were any issues!!

As I say these are probably obvious questions but any local info would be a great help

Thanks,
Laura.

Hi Laura,

You should have received your confidential maternity record at your booking in appointment, they did put it in the bounty pack, it's an a4 booklet and has all of the numbers you need. I have to see my GP too but didn't see them until 25 weeks. The Beckenham antenatal number is 01689 866 640.

I did get a bounty pack but it only had two sheets of paper with little info on, along with the general bumf; I didn't however receive a confidential maternity record booklet.
Some women were holding an A4 booklet during my scan appointment and I wondered why I didn't have something similar.

The midwife did mentioned in passing about them not doing physical files and it all going onto an electronic app (which is yet to be finished).Hmm I'll give the Beacon a call and see if it's something they've missed.

Thank you.

Definitely do, they are really helpful. The booklet has quite a lot of info in it not all helpful but stuff that you need for sure. Would be handy to have it all digitally too.

Ooo I'd be very wary about having electronic files you can't access rather than physical files. In my experience the data sharing between the Beacon, GP, PRUH and KCH is dreadful - eg if I had a blood test ordered by the GP or at the PRUH, the MWs had no record of it, and vice versa. It was really down to me to keep the records complete, and often looking over the MW's notes was how i would spot things they might have missed or recorded wrongly. I went independent in the end and it would have been so much more difficult if I hadn't had physical notes to hand to the new midwife. My baby was born in april, so this must be a new system.

Anyway. I also found the whole issue of who to call impossible to figure out. There was a list of contacts in the notes and if you called they always referred you to one of the other ones, and the incoming calls were off different numbers again. So confusing! I would just call the main beacon one posted above and ask. And definitely book the 16 week one at your GP as they get booked up fast x

Oh and generally the MWs were good - I only went independent because I had a v specific issue. I've heard good things about the PRUH too 😊

I've had two babies at the PRUH and had a positive experience both times. My youngest is just 3.

If you're local go into the ante-natal office at the Beacon and speak to Maureen the office manager. She is wonderful. You can self refer to them and don't have to be seen at your GP if you don't want to be. I was with them throughout my first pregnancy. I was with the GP for my second ad transferred myself back as I wasn't happy.

Also had my scans at King's. You can make the multi site thing work but certainly need to have a copy of your own notes.

Hi,

Thanks for your advice. I rang the Beacon up and it turns out they had run out of the hand-held A4 note books the week I had my booking in appointment and was unhelpfully told they didn't have any spares I could pick up either. However my husband went into the Beacon the other day as he was close by and after having another chat with them was given them...so all is now sorted, if a little long winded.

It is all a little complicated with who I deal with still. I rang my GP to book my midwife appointment, who told me there was no availability and to book in at Beacon. Spoke to Beacon who said I needed to book with the community midwife at PRUH. Eventually I got it booked but certainly not the easiest system in the world. Anyways thank you all for your advice, greatly appreciated.

What a pain!! Sounds like the mess of King's involvement has come home to roost in the ante-natal world .

Good luck with the rest of your pregnancy.