Has anyone referred to an NHS hospital out of their area?

[shouldidoitspoilt]

I live right beside a hospital where I had my last baby delivered and it was a tough pregnancy with lots and lots of complications
I was so let down by the hospital, the midwives and the team that looked after me

I really can't have another baby there again unless I go into preterm labour and I have to have the baby delivered then and there.

I want to refer to another hospital which is about an hour away
I'm fully aware that's a long drive hut it's better then going to central London for a private hospital and consultant which is just too expensive

So I want to know if anyone has self referred or did you go and see your GP and explain?

If you did use a hospital not local did you find they treated you well and weren't curious why you wanted to use them?

I will have a c section so will stay over night or whatever and then in a hotel for a day or two or maybe come home depending how I feel.

Fingers crossed this baby sticks

My youngest is 7, but I had both my children at a hospital that is”out of area”. Weliveruggr ib acounty boundary and it’s actuslly much closer than my “local” hospital. I doubled up on some appts where the community midwife in my home area did them in week x, but the hospital did them a week or two sooner or later, but no issues otherwise.

Thank you did you self refer there? 😘

I also used an out of area hospital, which was actually the nearest hospital to my house. Like Runbikeski says it mainly just meant some appointments with the community midwife in the area and other (more important) appointments like booking in, scans, any tests etc were with the hospital.

One thing to be aware of is if you have any problems you need to be seen by someone about, it's probably better to go to the day unit at the hospital instead of trying to be seen by the local midwife. By the time I had my second, I hardly bothered with my midwife and just contacted the day unit at the hospital straight away with any problems or concerns.

I had DS2 at the regional centre where DH works rather than my local hospital. It's a different health trust.
It meant I had 2 sets of notes as my community midwife was from my local trust (yellow notes) and my hospital notes (purple) and they were slightly different so insisted on their own sets - a bit of a faff but actually in real terms it was fine. Most of my care was hospital based as I was a high risk which was my reason for choosing the better hospital .
I chose this from my first GPs appointment and although it raised an eyebrow they were fine about it.

I’m having my baby at an “out of area” hospital. It’s actually the same distance away as the other hospital, just in a different direction!

My community midwife was able to refer me there, even though it isn’t her trust.

Nobody has questioned my decision :)

Thank you everyone the advice is really good here I'm really glad you've all contributed.
My first pregnancy was so awful I was always at the day unit or on the ward but I'm hoping to avoid that this time (we will see)

To complicAte matters I really do want to use an Independent Midwife. I had her but only on the day my son was unexpectedly born and she really did save our sanity and also stop me from spending un necessary time in hospital. So if I use her do I also use the hospital for my scans and bloods with consultant and then any other appointments like just blood pressure urine etc at my house?
I know it will be fiddely it's just I want to have a smoother pregnancy and the main problem was I felt abandoned in my last one.

Thinking to have the baby at Tonbridge wells it's meant to be excellent

I can’t help with the out of area thing, but Tunbridge Wells (Pembury) is excellent. I had DS there and will be using it again for DC2. The only thing to note is that lots of people from out of the area want to self refer there due to their good name and the labour ward does get full apparently, so people do get turned away. Just something to bear in mind if you’d be driving an hour to get there!

@shouldidoitspoilt I have scans, bloods, BP and urine done at my hospital appointments before I see my consultant.

When I see my Community Midwife, she also takes blood pressure and urine samples.