Choose your hospital... RUBBISH!

[sck]

I'm so depressed. I've just been to my GP at only 6 weeks pregnant to ask for a referral to another hospital. I made it very clear I didn't want to go to St. Peters (in Chertsey) and he said "I'm afraid you have no choice". I told him I wanted to go to Queen Charlotte, but would settle for Kingston. He said he'd write the letter to Queen Charlotte. But, told me not toget my hopes up. What do you suppose they would do if I just refusesed to go to St. Peters. I'm so depressed and even more frustrated.

HAs anyone else had this experience? Is there anything I can do? Anyone I can complain to?

I know the group and you will get good advice there sck, I would have thought that m/w do see the downsides to having major abdominal surgery as opposed to birthing and some will feel strongly about it but they won't question your choice and will still post advice to you and there is a good chance that you will find somone in your area too.

google ukmidwifery and you'll find the site, fourth on the list or find at www.radmid.demon.co.uk/contact.htm (can't do links and think that's a cut and paste...)

sorry thought you had it its here

Hi sck

I'm sorry to hear that you are having difficulties in booking at Queen Charlotte's but it has always been a popular choice among women in London. Unfortunately, they have to restrict the number of women booking as otherwise they would not have enough midwives, doctors and beds for everyone. If they overbooked and a woman arrived in labour and there weren't sufficient resources to care for her safely she would have to be transfered out which would even more distressing at that point. However, I know this is not much consolation unless you've actually managed to book there.

I've been trying to think of some other options, (other than your GP making further efforts to refer you). A possibility might be having private care there I know it's expensive but if your heart was set on QC's then it's one way of getting in.

I was going to suggest that you might want to think about a homebirth if your pregnancy was straightforward but you seem certain that you want a caesarean. If you were to have your baby at home you would have a great deal of support with 1:1 midwifery care.

The other thing is that you sound like you're still very upset about your previous birth. Did anyone ever go through your notes with you? If not, then it might be worth asking to do this as you may feel differently about things afterwards. I had a c**p delivery and have gone through my notes. I was quite surprised when I read them and it did help to place it all in context - the events had been all jumbled up in my mind and some things I had forgotten until I read about them.

I no longer live in London and had to go to my local hospital with some trepidation. All I heard were negative comments about the lack of cleanliness and brusque staff. Having been there, I have to say that my fears were completely groundless and I had excellent care, I really could not have asked for more support and kindness from the staff.

Thanks Cuckoo. The idea of a home birth possitively horrifies me. I can't really understand why people have them. What if something goes wrong? And no epidural??? No thank you. Oh, I know a lot of people think there are great, and for then I guess they are. But not for me! I would be horrified of what could go wrong.

Anyway, I am actually exploring the possibility of going private. The thing is, I have BUPA through my work, but the policy doesn't cover maternity. However, it does cover a caesarean if it is medically necessary. So, if I can classify having had a previous caesarean as "medically necessary" than I think I can pull it off. But, at this point I believe this is a shade of grey.

Also, I sent an e-mail to birthchoice.co.uk and they wrote me back to say I could try contacting the Chief Executive of the Trust. So, if QC give me the big "Hell No, go away", then I'll try contact a few other Cheif Execs of other trusts (like West Middlesex and Kingston). If I'm still told no, then I'll see about the private.

At least I have a bit of time... I probably just have to irritate the right person.

SCK - for what it's worth one of my client tried to get a section on BUPA (she had 1 still birth, than a section and wanted another section)... they declined, I did try to suggest different tactics, all failed. She had it on the NHS and it went very well.

Contact AIMS (aims.org.uk) if you want to know how to change hospital... it can be done but it's a bit of a hassle, writing to all the chief execs (of all these trusts) is helpful and usually work- as you have been told.

This is a discussion I had with Beverly beech (the chair of AIMS) this week -end... if you are prepared to fight it should work.

Sck, I agree about getting gp to contact Kingston etc. at same time as QC. My GP is always saying "you've got to get in early" for Kingston, I've managed to book in there at about 6 weeks each time (I'm out of area too).

With ds we were left in reception at Kingston for about 15 minutes waiting for a midwife. I had gone into labour spontaneously on the day I should have been induced but couldn't book it because there was no space, so I was petrified about getting transferred to St Peter's. I was planning to pull a full pg wobbly on them. I heard the receptionist on the phone to lots of different maternity wards (including one in Wales!) and I was sure she was trying to find somewhere for me! It turned out she was dealing with some admin for some women who'd accidentally ended up giving birth out of area over the Xmas hols!

Good luck.

fisil,
Do you mind if I ask where you are? I am only just outside the area, in Sunbury. How did you actually get into Kingston. My GP said, "Foret it, you'll never get into to Kingston". Then he said he'd write the letter to Queen Charlotte... but I must say I'm rather sceptical about just how convincing the letter will be.

sck - I got my section on Cigna Health Insurance due to compliations, but they wouldn't accept 1 previous section as a reason - they only agreed to cover when I developed Obstetric cholestasis (the reason for my first emergency cs) again, andso had to have dd at 37 weeks, therefore needing a section (consultant did not want to induce following a section) They will probably try to say that a previous section by itself does not neccesitate another if there is no medical need to have the baby early.
But if you do want to try then you will need a consultant to write to them and say that your cs is the only medical option - so you need to persuade a consultant of that first. Good luck.

SCK, sorry you're having trouble going to QC. My GP reffered me to Chelsea and Westminster automatically because I'm based in Kensington and C&W and St MArys paddington are the ones they use here. i told her a wanted to go to Queen Charlottes and she said that was fine as I was still in the catchment area and She wrote me a refferal letter which I took there myself. I think your GP has to give you this letter and you can take it whereever you like. The only problem is that your main local hospital ( C&W in my case) have to take you no matter what but QC doesn't.
I left it until 12 weeks before I applied because I was looking at private hospitals, they sent me a letter saying they had no room and that was that, I really wanted to go there and there was no way I was going to go to C&W so I'm going privately at QC and I'm really happy with everything but I'd be very happy with teh NHS there it looks great.

I don't think it's up to your GP but the hospital does have the choice of saying no and although you should be intitled to go to any hospital you choose, they do look at your postcode and I think you get priority if you're within the catchment area.

I would say give QC a call and ask them what you should do, I'm sure they'll be really helpful. There's nothing worse than not knowing which hospital you're going to use, it wasn't until I decided at 13 weeks that I relaxed

Good luck

sure sck. I'm in Raynes Park, SW20. I'm meant to be St Helier but wouldn't have a clue how to get there. My GP goes to St George's herself, but I once had a bad experience in A&E there, and the traffic can be dreadful. Kingston is a 10 minute drive for us, 15 max in bad traffic. I have to have all my scans at Queen Mary's in Roehampton, though. A lot of my colleagues opt for Kingston even though they're out of area - saves giving birth in a bed next to one of our students!

I'd get onto your GPs case - sounds like laziness.