Maternity care/nuchal translucency in Glasgow

[leanabh2013]

hi folks,

Looking for advice in my very first post! What are your experiences of maternity services in Glasgow (southside, assume it will be the Southern general that I end up in!)? I recieved my first appointment letter yesterday and to be honest I am now not at all confident about the quality of care I will recieve. Firstly, the letter was downright sloppy, and riddled with spelling, punctuation and grammar errors. More importantly, the letter both informed me that I will not be getting a nuchal translucency scan as happens elsewhere in the country (despite my being over 30, so not in the lowest risk pregnancy category) and simultaneously failing to inform me that my dating scan will take place at the first appointment. I only found this out when I phoned the unit to discuss the letter. Given that you need a full bladder for the scan and that they had asked me to bring a urine sample to a 9AM appointment, it is a good job I asked!

I was really polite to them on the phone, but they were absolutely useless and a bit chippy, and denied that Glasgow had ever offered this scan (despite their website trumpeting how marvellous their screening programme is). I was told to 'go private', but frankly why should I have to do this, when people elsewhere get it for free? There are plenty of couples in Glasgow who won't be able to afford this and will be left in limbo until the second trimester, at which point I would have real ethical issues about what to do should an abnormality be found. I asked if I could be transferred for the scan to an authority where it was done routinely but was told that all my care would need to move for that. No advice given on how to do that of course. I spoke to my GP too, and she could only advise that I complain but go private.

I have never paid to circumnavigate the system in my life and I don't believe in paying to do this both for ethical reasons and because I have paid a ton of tax and NI which should support such services! I will if I have to, but will be writing to my MSP and to the health secretary anyway -I'll go private if I have no choice, but the expense will be considerable: what are less well off people supposed to do?

I would really like to know how people have found the care in the Glasgow area. Am I being paranoid with my first pregnancy, or is the rest of the care as sloppy as the impression my recent contact with them would suggest? I am seriously considering asking to transfer to another authority. Tell me your stories, good and bad if you have the time!

Thanks very much for the advice folks, much appreciated. I'm trying to find out what blood tests will be done to the booking appointment, as the letter says that the Down's blood test won't be done until 15-20 weeks, which would be too late for a follow up with an NT scan. Seems strange not to do at least that bit early, seeing as they'll doubtless need to take tests for all sorts of stuff at that appointment. I had wondered about being asked to be moved to Paisley actually, as I work out that way and it would keep the time off to a minimum. Also, I know a midwife who works there, although I think she mostly trains other people now. Is worrying to know how varied care is across the country, and this thread has been very helpful to me as I have written to my MSP and to the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing on the matter (not naming or quoting anyone here) and was able to point out that care quality issues and scan availability at a range of stages appear to be quite a concern within a rather worrying 'postcode lottery'. I have always been a huge supporter of the NHS and have friends working in it from shop volunteers to surgeons and am feeling very let down on their behalf, as well as my own, by the attitude of the peple I spoke to at that unit.

hello
i went private for my nuchal food fold / blood (CUBS) test - travelled 3 hrs on the train to Glasgow to get it done. I agree with the fact that the NHS should do this, indeed I think NICE guidelines are that they should , but here in the real world they do not. It was the best £300 or I spent though - what a relief - I was aged 42 at the time, so high risk. I declined any further tests after this one and was far more relaxed through the pregnancy because of it - so worth the money for me. I was a huge worrier about my pregnancy after a previous miscarridge which was very badly handled by my local hospital - so I avoided them and their maternity services when at all possible - in my experinece they were incompetent and unaccountable. By all means write you your MSP about provision, or lack of, but given the responsivenes of the NHS I experienced after I made my complaint I wouldnt bother - it j ust winds you up and you get nothing back. Mind you, they handled my birth very well and all my worries turned out to be unfounded second time round in hospital - my GPs midwife was very good and had a word with the ward sister so I think they tried harder to take extra good care of me.

I had the AFP/HCG test today at 15.1 at my antenatal appointment.

It's a different test to CUBS which looks at combined bloods and ultrasound. The blood test isn't accurate before (I think) 14 wks, which is why they don't do it until 15 to be sure.

I can't remember if the CUBS bloods were earlier, or if it's the same blood test and they do the ultrasound part earlier and take the bloods later.

Just to let folk know the outcome of my complaint: My MSP picked this up personally, and I had a call from the lead Midwife last week to tell me that the NTscan was being introduced across the board on 19th November for all women in NHSGG. As I'll still be within the scan window then, I'll be seen on that date at the Southern General for that scan only. Had my booking appointment yesterday, and fair play to the New Victoria: the midwife I saw was fantastic, despite me actually throwing up with pregnancy sickness during the appointment! You have to give credit where it is due, and I was very impressed with both my MSP (who I didn't vote for last time) and with the staff at the New Victoria.

Thanks for letting us know. I missed out by a couple of months then.

My AFP test combined with my age came back very high risk (1:27) for Down Syndrome and I opted for an amnio, which went well and the initial results came back in 24hrs and were clear.

I can't fault the care and compassion from the SGH, but I will always wonder if the more accurate scan/bloods combination would have given me a lower risk and avoided the stress of the amnio (I would have been happy to wait-and-see with 1:50 or better - no real logic to it.).

No point in what if's though, and that's good news that you're getting the scan and your care has been better than you hoped

I have birth in Glasgow Princess Royal maternity and it was an awful experience, nurses wouldn't believe I was in labour and left me for hours on my own until after complaining so much they checked me and rushed me up to the labour room and tried to have a joke with me about it all. After labour I wanted to go home as soon as possible but due to a variety of mistakes on their part I wasn't able to leave until the third day after being admitted.

It was such an awful experience and this time I made sure to book in at a hospital outside of Glasgow (Wishaw).

littlebairn I'm in South Lanarkshire and was told yesterday by my midwife that I'd get a 20 week scan.