Help! Can I be rejected for care hospital?

[Izzymay]

Hi ladies,
So there are 2 hospitals in my area, I live close to one and a bit further from the other. The one close to me is notoriously bad. I had my first baby there and almost died. For my second pregnancy I self referred to the slightly better sister hospital that’s a few minutes further away. But I have just been sent an email saying they will forward my referral to the other hospital ( the bad one closer to me).

I was under the impression that pregnant women can pursue maternity care at any hospital, though it makes complete sense to go for the closest. But I weighed out the cost benefit of having to drive 15min more to the rating of the hospital and reviews.

Can a hospital do this, or have I misunderstood something? What can I do if I cannot use the hospital I’ve been referred to? I really do not feel safe returning that hospital, I worry for my well-being and safety. They are understaffed, and under resourced, and I’m sorry to say some of the drs they have are less than competent.
What are my options if the hospital I selected refuse to take me on?

Thanks in advance,

Could you send a letter stating these reasons xx

@Nonamesavail

I worry drs are very loyal to each other and would not like me stating their colleagues are bad at their job.

@Countdowntonothing

I might need a hospital for the birth, as last baby was breach, I wouldn’t feel ok with home birth at this moment.

But I have no problem with being seen by midwives the rest of the way.

I really cannot face going back to that hospital.

I wonder if you need to come under your nearest hospital for the community midwives and then you can change location for birth. That's what happens in my area.

I had a miscarriage at 22 weeks a few years ago. Due to the loss happening at a particular hospital we asked our gp to write a letter asking for us to use a different one when I became pregnant a year later.

We explained that it was due to stress and traumatic memories and he was happy to write us a strong referral letter. The second hospital accepted me for maternity care and were amazing. My gp stated that they were unlikely to refuse such a request as it was a good reason to go elsewhere.

I genuinely think you'll be fine here op.

So definitely contact your gp for support if you need to , just make sure that you word your request in such a way that it's firmly about your emotional wellbeing.

I would ring them as I'm pretty sure u can go to any hospital u wish for the birth. Ur midwife /community stuff tends to be ur local hospital
For example I have chosen to go to a big hospital as I'm high risk and they have a big nicu ect which is about 30 mins so all my scans and consultant app r there but all my midwife stuff is done through my local hospital 20 mins away but tbf won't have to step foot in that hospital as seen in a community centre in my village x

You can choose here, but we are actually between 2 different trusts, so the paperwork the community midwives complete differs depending which one you choose. In this case, how did you self refer? Did it perhaps land on their desk and they simply thought well you fall under the other one without giving it much thought? I would maybe try and speak to your midwife?

You can choose but I don't believe they are under any obligations to actually accept what is considered to be an out of area referral - really depends I suppose on resources and forecast birth rate at the time? Also if you are considered high risk for any reason or require consultant led care they can refuse.

I gave birth in a hospital a bit further away but had to see the MWs from the closer hospital as they are the ones that do the community appointments in my area.

Just stay firm and keep reiterating what it is you want.

It might be worth talking Birth Trauma Association about your previous birth and how you're feeling about being PG again.

Good luck

Here you can specify a preference for a hospital (there are 4 close enough to be practical) however in practice if your preferred hospital has closed maternity (which they often do in peak times) you just get sent to the next closest with a space.

Ring the hospital you want and ask to speak to a PMA midwife. Explain to them. Be aware that a hospital can refuse you at last minute and send you to give birth at another hospital if rheybadw

They can if they don't have capacity, one of my local hospitals a couple of years ago put a cap on the amount of births it could accept. One of my friends had to travel to a hospital 25 miles away to give birth despite there being several closer as this cap had meant closest hospitals had also run out of capacity.

I’m booked to give birth at a hospital further away, but all midwife appointments are done at a closer hospital as that’s where the community midwives for my area are. It’s worth checking if they just mean that your appointments will be in the closer hospital

Thank you everyone for your feedback.

I will go the route of asking my GP to write me a referral letter explaining my situation.
And I will write one as well ( I feel that my gp is hard to get hold of since covid).

Hi all, just thought I’d drop back to complete the story.

I emailed them and explained why I had selected them to begin with, and my experience at the other hospital.

The lady was very understanding and confirmed I could receive my maternity care and delivery at the hospital of my choice and she also said she would send me details of birth related PTSD service they offer.

Thank you everyone for your suggestions you’ve been a great help.

That's wonderful op , it makes such a difference to your stress levels. Good luck with your pregnancy and have a happy Christmas.

@TallTowerFan thank you! Happy Christmas.