Are maternity appointments essential?

[dg93]

So I had a call from the GP today to cancel my 33 and 35 week midwife appointments for January as they aren't essential.

Apparently they've been asked to cancel all non essential appointments for January.....

Surely midwife appointments are essential, even if its just 1 appointment, not 2?

I'm classed as high risk, have gestational diabetes and an extremely high risk of getting preeclampsia as my mum had it with both her pregnancies 😩

I'm going to call/email to complain tomorrow as I feel like I need at least 1 appointment, but I wanted to check if anyone else thinks the same or is it just me?

Yes they are essential and you should be seen!! I would definitely complain!

I’m a midwife and they are so essential it’s crazy they’ve done this. Please complain to everyone, the gp surgery, the hospital, ring the community matron, head of midwifery, PALs. Whoever it takes, you must be seen.

You need bp checking, urine dipping, fundal height measurement.

And you need all yours appts as per the evidence based NICE antenatal pathway. Especially with you having gest diabetes.

Definitely essential, especially as you get closer to your due date. I wouldn’t stand for this.

They are essential in your case!! I’m low risk so I could live without those, but you need them. Call!!

Oh just thought….if you have gest diabetes are they seeing you at the hospital those weeks? If so they might be wanting to avoid duplication of appts?

Definitely essential, especially with potential risks.

I’m a FTM and have my 24 week appointment at the hospital in mid-Jan, I haven’t heard anything about maternity appointments being cancelled.

I hope you manage to get it sorted OP.

That is craziness. I’m based in Ontario, Canada where we’ve had several lockdowns much stricter than the Uk’s, but even then I always had every second midwife appointment in person (the rest virtual). I’m low risk. I know they kept seeing higher risk women more. Definitely put up a fuss about this. You should be being monitored.

Honestly I think that is pretty alarming and you should definitely complain to GP and also to local maternity service. I’m not having all my midwife appointments because I see my consultant every 2 weeks and so it doesn’t seem necessary but midwife still said I can make an appointment any time I want and to make sure that in any event I make one around 34/35 weeks to go over my birth plan and all options for pain relief etc.

Perhaps it depends on your trust but at my local hospital you would have consultant-led care. It could be worth asking.

Thanks so much, pleased it's not just me thinking they are essential! I will certainly complain tomorrow morning, thank you!

I do have a growth scan scheduled for 36 weeks, but this was moved to a hospital 1hour30min drive away as my local hospital have closed there birthing and maternity unit due to covid - so if I have any emergencies I have to travel to the other hospital!

My gestational diabetes appointments are all on an app they gave me access to where I can request phone calls or leave a note for a virtual FaceTime call out of the app, so they haven't been seeing me in person for that since I was diagnosed a couple weeks ago.

I'll keep you all updated on how it goes! X

They are essential.

You need to be seen as planned.

Are you sure you don't have consultant appointments instead? It's seems a gross oversight otherwise.

Id call the community midwife team tomorrow, they should be able to explain what/why this has happened.

UPDATES

I sent an email to the gp complaining and put a call request on my app for my GD team to call me.

The gp called first and explained there was an administration issue, where the receptionist was asked to cancel non essential appointments, and this man (who obviously hasn't had babies) assumed all midwife appointments were non essential and cancelled them all.....

Apparently he said if they were essential they'd be at a hospital 😂😂

They booked my appointments back in thankfully!

The GD team also called after it was all sorted and said if it happens again to call them directly and they will have a word with the GP 🥲 x

Someone's going to her a rocket.

Glad you're sorted

In fairness the GPs should not be putting non medically trained admin staff in the position of making such decisions. It’s dangerous. How many other (not just maternity) appts have been cancelled because the receptionist thinks they’re not urgent/necessary? But I hope the receptionist doesn’t get a bollocking because it’s not their fault, a GP should be drawing up a list!

@CovidCorvid

In fairness the GPs should not be putting non medically trained admin staff in the position of making such decisions. It’s dangerous. How many other (not just maternity) appts have been cancelled because the receptionist thinks they’re not urgent/necessary? But I hope the receptionist doesn’t get a bollocking because it’s not their fault, a GP should be drawing up a list!

This is something that's been really stressing me out during COVID. At my GP you have to first convince the receptionist that you have something worthy of a doctors time, and they frequently are saying no and turning people away. I get people waste GPs time but they aren't medical professionals!

What's infuriating is gp receptionists arguing on mumsnet oh we don't triage we just give info to the doctor
well they do triage when not medically qualified to do so and this is even worse
Receptionists making clinical decisions has to be stopped thankfully in this situation your complaint got to the right people

@CovidCorvid

In fairness the GPs should not be putting non medically trained admin staff in the position of making such decisions. It’s dangerous. How many other (not just maternity) appts have been cancelled because the receptionist thinks they’re not urgent/necessary? But I hope the receptionist doesn’t get a bollocking because it’s not their fault, a GP should be drawing up a list!

receptionist needs sacking!!!!!

@milly74

What's infuriating is gp receptionists arguing on mumsnet oh we don't triage we just give info to the doctor well they do triage when not medically qualified to do so and this is even worse Receptionists making clinical decisions has to be stopped thankfully in this situation your complaint got to the right people

To be honest I find it very weird in the UK that you are asked by receptionist about medical condition you wish to discuss with a doctor, especially if you are waiting in a line and everyone can hear you.

How the hell has some medically untrained receptionist been allowed to make these gender biased decisions by themselves?

As PP said, who knows what other appointments he’s cancelled so every single one he has should now be reviewed.

It’s the GP that needs sacking, it’s wholly irresponsible and unacceptable.

@CovidCorvid

In fairness the GPs should not be putting non medically trained admin staff in the position of making such decisions. It’s dangerous. How many other (not just maternity) appts have been cancelled because the receptionist thinks they’re not urgent/necessary? But I hope the receptionist doesn’t get a bollocking because it’s not their fault, a GP should be drawing up a list!

Totally agree with this, this whole situation sounds like the start of some root cause analysis.

Everything that’s been cancelled should now be reviewed. The should never have been the receptionists decision.

@dg93

UPDATES

I sent an email to the gp complaining and put a call request on my app for my GD team to call me.

The gp called first and explained there was an administration issue, where the receptionist was asked to cancel non essential appointments, and this man (who obviously hasn't had babies) assumed all midwife appointments were non essential and cancelled them all.....

Apparently he said if they were essential they'd be at a hospital 😂😂

They booked my appointments back in thankfully!

The GD team also called after it was all sorted and said if it happens again to call them directly and they will have a word with the GP 🥲 x

That’s good. Though rather shoddy of the GP to blame the receptionist - it’s hardly their job to decide what is and isn’t medically essential!

Glad you've been booked back in OP.
Maternity services are a joke where I am. My midwife is constantly off sick and no one seems to cover her appointments, or if they do, they then cancel them at short notice.
I'm 32wks with a high risk pregnancy and I've seen my midwife once.

They are essential but I'm right with you- back earlier this year I had a hard time getting appointments for the same reason.