UCH or Royal Free??

[ChateauMargot]

Does anyone here have recentish experience of either/both of these, both in terms of ante-natal care and delivery? I'm particularly interested in the midwife-led units...

Thanks!

I had my DD at UCH in April this year at the birth centre and could not fault it. Amazing midwives on duty, very caring and professional. I went home 6hrs after giving birth (my choice, I could have stayed longer if I wanted) so not much experience of postnatal care. The antenatal care was excellent too, although I sometimes waited up to an hour to be seen.

I had my DS at RF in Dec 08 on the labour ward after not being able to use the birth centre due to high bp in labour. I felt a bit like the whole thing was out of my hands and like I didn't get much say in what was happening. I spent 5 days on the postnatal ward and it was noisy and understaffed. I was very glad to get home! Antenatal care felt a bit routine, I didn't see many mws who seemed very caring. It was always really rushed. Waiting times were awful, up to 2hrs late every time.

If I have another baby I'll def go UCH again

Thanks, caramel - that seems to concur with what I've read on similar threads...

New UCH is pretty good. I wasn't midwife led for delivery (OBS all the way for me!) but I had a really wonderful antenatal midwife (Libby Humphries I think she was called) and the postnatal care was pretty good (we got readmitted for jaundice after a week which Libby picked up on and I felt very looked after) .

I was supposed to have my first child at old UCH (pre rebuild) and it was so dreadful I bailed and went private. I didn't see a midwife of any description the entire pg - healthcare assistants only despite being an older mother on their high risk register. But the second time around I had no qualms and actually had better service than in the private hospital (apart from the food which was rank!)

That's good to hear, mandj. At the moment I'm having scans etc. at the Royal Free (very early days still) as that's where I'd had my endo appointments - it's also a little bit closer to us. But thinking of booking in to UCH for delivery day... The RF has some good folk working there, but it does seem rather disorganised and the whole place is (physically) grim, grim, grim...

Experience of both and UCH every time.

Thanks, helpmabob!

No experience of either here but a work colleague had her baby at UCH in Feb and found it excellent. I work in Camden and from what I've heard most go for UCH if they can. I considered it as I have a parking space nearby for work but in the end went for PAH in Harlow as it's closer to where we live.

UCH everytime. As a hospital in general it's much cleaner and more efficient. I had two scans in the early pregnancy unit in the royal free and was treated like crap. Iv just moved to Hertfordshire but Royal free has always been my local hospital and I always avoid it. I know lots of people who have had bad baby experiences there as well as caught infections in other parts of the hospital. I also used to work in the George pub next door to the hospital and used to serve surgeons alcohol in their lunch break and hear the doctors and nurses horror stories which always put me off. I don't have any direct experience of birth in either but I love UCH (was born there lol) been having treatment all year for a dodgy knee and can't fault them - they seem to be the most spotless in the local area xx

UCH

Well. I'm booked in to the Royal Free and after reading this and some of the past threads on here on the topic, I asked to transfer to UCH. Apparently I can't, as there are already too many women booked on around in my due date (January).

So now I'm really scared and hoping it's not as bad as all that!