queen elizabeth vs kings college hospital

[rosalinda]

Hi,

I am booked at Kings for febuary but have recently moved to plumstead. I am thinking of transfering to QEH to deliver cos I'm a bit worried about getting stuck in traffic and also I always have to wait a couple of hours for ante natal appts. But I heard that QEH don't have many midwives for delivery. Anyone know what its like?

If you do change just remember that it can feel difficult to change your midwifery care half way through your pregnancy and that may colour your experience of QEH. I have worked at Kings and had a baby with QEH midwives. The appointments definitely have shorter waiting times at QEH. I was never disappointed with the care I got. I had a home birth so I cannot comment on the birthing unit but all the midwives that I met were great. You can go on a tour of the unit just like you can at Kings. Believe me, though, sitting in traffic to Kings for 1/2 an hour or more may be horrible when you are in labour....and if you have to go in as an emergency, as is always a possibility, it's unlikely that you'll be taken to Kings but to your closest, so if you haven't changed that might increase the stress at a later stage. I've heard good and bad reports about QEH and good and bad reports about Kings. My own experience with QEH was good. Both places are busy and understaffed. At the end of the day you have to decide how convenient you want things to be since the care that you get will probably be pretty similar in both places if you have a normal labour and delivery.

thanks for the advice. I spoke to my nurse about transfering, she said the midwives will go balistic! cos they are already so busy. So now I am wondering what to do.

Hi rosalind

I live in Blackheath and had my first at QEH. I had a really bad experience as did most of my NCT crowd as well as other friends I know. People are now having their seconds and still hearing horror stories. The waiting times for scans was good but otherwise I really don't have anything good to say about the place! I was admitted at term with severe pre-eclampsia and they faffed around and took ages to decide to induce me and then I went through 2 days of labour with them not making decisions and nearly ended up with a c-section. The ward was shut several times to people who were arriving in labour since they were full. I was left on the gynea ward with lots of old people since the maternity ward was full. I was discharged early with a jaundiced baby and ended up being ambulanced back to them a couple of days later with infections and gall bladder problems they had missed. When I found out I was pregnant with my second I immediately asked to go to Kings since my husband works there and they were FAR more competent. The only wait is for the scans since they are so reputable there are often emergenices but the antenatal appts were never late. They were really really good there and whenever they were concerned I was immediately sent for tests and not made to wait days like at QEH. I understand the fear re. traffic- my labour was fast- only a couple of hours and the traffic was bad so only made it with about 20 mins to spare but I still wouldn't change my mind and if there is a problem with traffic and you are in the throws of labour you can always ring an ambulance. People I have heard from recently have said that at QEH they were left in the waiting room/ canteen since it was so full and one was eventually just given a space in the monitoring room and luckily needed no intervention. Several people have been sent to other hospitals since it was full. I really really would not recommend QEH at all. Kings though were really fantastic.

HTH!