So, farewell to the Queens Mum

[glasjam]

Had my daughter there over 2 years ago - felt like a place waiting to close down then - end of an era and all that. Was quite perturbed to read this article here - sounds like it is going to be tough if you have a sick baby at the Southern General for the next 5 years. I am fortunate enough to have not had to deal with an ill baby but it seems awfully hard to have to watch your baby on a video link and send your expressed milk in remotely. Is that usual, not being able to stay with your poorly baby? I'm certainly glad that I was able to avail myself of a maternity unit that was slap bang next to a fantastic hospital like Yorkhill.
(Won't miss the toilet and shower facilites though - or the high-walled rooms with the teeny narrow windows that were so high up you couldn't see out them!)

Shit, the "Queens Mum"??!! Talk about old news (Gawd bless her!) I, of course meant, The Queen Mums

Aww, I know. I was a wee bit sad to read about this today. I had my firstborn there in 2003 and the place was looking rather tired then.
I've not had to deal with an ill baby either and really feel for those who will not be able to be close to their wee ones.

Yes, am a wee bit that the issues raised when they first mooted closing the QMH re: risk to transferring neonates don't seem to be reckoned to be a problem for the next 5 years.

Apparently the new maternity at the Southern is lovely though, and I agree with you - I had ds at the Queen Mum's 3 years ago, it was fine but pretty basic.

Sad to see it go. I was born there myself almost 25 years ago and was premature. Had all my antenatal care there and had my dd there - so very sad memories but excellent support.

The new bits of the PR are nice too.

I had Erin there 3 weeks ago and I didn't think it looked particulary dated at all. No more so than the newish maternity unit at the Royal Berks where I had Tom almost 4 years ago. A hospital is a hospital, and everyone involved with our care for both births were fantastic.

I chose Queen Mums over Paisley (Princess Royal?) as I knew how to get there from Dumbarton (Tom had his tonsils out at Yorkhill) and that it was right next door to Yorkhill in case anything did go wrong.

So when the new childrens hospital opens at Southern General, does that mean that Yorkhill will close too?

Well I'm personally not sad to see it go, I had a really bad time in there and the place was manky!

However, I do think the link with Yorkhill is a very very big loss.

Yes Bexie. The idea is to continue to provide paediatric & maternity care on the same site but obviously there'll be a break now until the new hospital is built.

They're saying 5 years I think so there's already been a bit of slippage from the original plan, but then the QMH was originally slated to close in 2007 so maybe that was taken into account.

Glad to see it go.

I had a brutal experience there, exactly a year ago, and my DD and I were treated very badly.

The interim arrangements are far from ideal, but the set up in the Queen Mum's was not either. Though the main problem was callous staff members who have probably transferred to other hospitals.

Avril and MHE so sorry to hear you had such bad experiences there Staff were lovely to me when I lost dd. Must be complete pot luck who you get I guess.

Sorry to hear from those of you who have had a terrible time there. My experience was less than ideal but not too bad. I was quite appalled at the fabric of the building - I felt dirtier coming back from the showers than I did going in - I was in for 5 days with a CS. The theatre staff were fantastic but the ward staff were a bit hit and miss. I'd had my first child in the newly opened Edinburgh Royal Infirmary so it was quite a contrast (where was my bedside TV and phone??!!)

I remember being in pain and desperate for some help with my breastfeeding and buzzed for help - the midwife was with someone else but popped her head round to say she would be with me when she finished with this other lady and then proceeded to talk NON STOP for a solid 10 minutes AT this woman the most inane chitter chatter about dogs, baby names etc. the other woman didn't say a word - I was in tears by the time she deemed she'd left me long enough.

As GiraffesCWITS said it must be complete pot luck who you get but I think it had a few below-par, frustrated staff who let that affect their day-to-day dealings with people.

I wonder what they will do with the old site?

I had three there and it was certainly a no frills experience!

They did save dd1's life though and I always found staff professional.

Have fond memories of walking past the patient smoking room to see pregnant women having a fag and a chat. They have to stand outside now. In fact I don't think they even can do that.

Also the enormous spider which dropped on my head and crawled down my dressing gown while I was on the loo.

And the lovely intensive care nurse who helped breastfeed and another who stood up for me and told them to stop giving DD1 bottles and to let her room with me while due was in the SCBU.

Glasjam, with views like that across the city I can only imagine they will build- wait for it- two bed luxury flats . Cos we don't have enough of them, do we.

I imagine they'll sell it for flats, its quite a prime area for property.

Sorry to hear about your dd giraffes and I'm glad they were good for you.

Like others, my experience was mainly down to the staff. I ended up in for 5 days with a c-sec too and the theatre staff were wonderful, the ward/labour staff very NOT.

I had undiagnosed pre-eclampsia, because no-one would accept my very low blood pressure at booking in was normal for me so when it went sky high (for me) that was deemed to be slightly raised. It wasn't until my kidneys started failing that they actually did something and sectioned me after leaving me for nearly three days in induced labour, which I wasn't dilating.

I could go on and on and on about stuff that went wrong but Dr Hanretty did apologise personally so fair dos.

Mumhadenough - sounds terrifying and interesting to see that you too found the theatre staff excellent and the ward staff not so. Glad you got an apology too.

Smallorange - no frills indeed! I remember you having nothing but praise for the way they treated your DD1 at a terrifying time for both of you. I don't want to bash all the excellent staff there that do an absolutely mind-blowingly important job.

Hopefully the Southern General with the new children's hospital next to it will be fantastic. I know there's been a lot of consultation - let's hope they take on board the comments and advice they've been given.

And yes, more flats for all those young professional types - or maybe a hotel?

I had all 4 of mine there and have few complaints. The theatre staff were great with my last 2 and chatted to me the whole way through.

I had DS1 in one of the older labour suites and it was tiny in there. DS2 was born in one of the Tower suites and that was much more comfortable.

I have stayed in all 3 of the ground floor wings and found the staff to be great, especially as 3 of the DS's ended up in Special/Intensive care.

DS 2 was diagnosed with a heart murmer during his check up before we were discharged and we were seen in Yorkhill by the cardiologist for a scan of his heart within 2 hours, that sort of treatment won't be happening anymore which is sad.

The only complaint I do have is of one of the nurses/midwives in South Wing who when DS1 was about 3 days and in intensive care (he had breathing problems and born at 35 weeks) said to me "Bet you are glad you don't have a baby screaming at you" as she tried to help another new mum with her crying baby. I would have given anything to have had DS screaming at me!!!

i went there after two ectopic pregs, one epu midwife was v nice, one not. but push came to shove, they both told me that my third preg was another ep and scheduled me to have injection of metho to get rid of preg.

having educated myself during first two eps i felt they were acting too quickly and went to PRM for second op. thank god i did, that pregnancy is sitting next to me on the couch. had i been a first-timer, however...

when i told the epu that i'd be having my mat care at the PRM (who could blame me?) they were furious and said i was being disloyal.

i'm glad to see the back of nurses and their stupid loyalty to where they were trained.

definitely tough going, though, to be separated from your tiny baby, although all the 'shuttled across city' bilge is exaggeration. it's ten mins in the car, three by ambulance.

Jeez Aitch I had no idea. Can't believe they had the audacity to be furious at you and accuse you of being disloyal? They should have been hanging their heads in shame.

I wonder if all the staff are simply transferring across to the Southern General or whether there will be any "shedding".

Aitch that's utterly appalling. Thank god you went for a second opinion. I naively assume they would check again before giving the drugs but...god it gives you shivers.

The subsequent attitude makes them sound a bit demented.

(The staff have all been moved to either the SGH or the PRM.)

Hope they've improved the food at the Southern. It was desperately bad. Really inedible. Really.

at Aitch's treatment - that's appalling!

aye, glas, it was the curly-haired one. now you see why i ADORE the guy at the PRM, who just said, 'i trust your instincts and i don't think you're in immediate danger, let's wait and see'.

the food at the southern must be better than at the PRM. i couldn't even go into the room where they served it, it was like warmed-through dog food.

sorry, i thought it was a dump with dreadful staff and wont miss it at all

i will miss it, they saved mine and my sons life, the staff were lovely and was treated so well but must admit the food was rubbish especially for a vegi

I liked the food, lol. The apple crumble and custard was well nice. I never usually like it!

I will miss it and would be having DS4 there if it weren't for its closure.

I have always felt well looked after there thought 7 1/2 pregnancies (as I have transferred my care to Wishaw after I knew the current pregnancy was going to be a "goer" ).
Phantastic Recurring Miscarriage support/care, Sister Byrne is a saint, and all the Fetal Medicine staff have been great at what they did: whether it was delivering bad news, or good.
I've had CVS x2, amnio x1, 1 induction, 1 emCS at 31 weeks for placenta praevia (baby in NITU/SCBU for 5 weeks, I had great BF/expressing support), 1 normal delivery, 4 MMCS with ERPOC and subsequent investigations re reasons and all the counselling that goes with that there.

If it weren't for the thought of standing in stationary traffic on Kingston Bridge whilst in labour, there is no doubt I would be having this one at Queen Mum's too.

I am so sorry to hear about all the bad experiences. It does make it seem a bit like pot-luck .
And I am more than a little suspicious about the politics/finances behind the closure...

I have had experience of PRI and Paisly as I was shipped about a couple of times when I bled when expecting DS2 and have to say I found the PRI a bit scarey - oldy styly ward dragons matrons with v strict discipline and no day room where my 1 year could have visited me .

As far as the peeling paint, the showers (yuck), the food (comme ci, comme ca) and everything else goes - It all paled into insignificance compared to what went on with baby/me whenever I was there.

So, bye-bye, QMH, you will be missed (by some).
I am sure the closure (and demolition) of Rottenrow will have stirred equal or more emotion.

I had all 3 of my children and have no real bad experiences. I agree the theatre staff are all lovely, especially the anaethetists. I'll be sad to see it go, I even donated my breastmilk to the sick babies there.

I agree about the food at the Southern General, I had a hysterectomy there in September and didn't eat a thing for the 4 days I was in!! I always liked the food at the Queen Mums.