Hi Nosey Helen
I posted this (below) on another doom-laden thread. Agree the labour ward looks a bit manky, but in reality it just needs a paint-job to cheer it up. Was there recently for an appointment and heard that they met all their targets last year, so will be getting more cash in near future.
Anyway, here's what I had to say (by the time I got to the Labour Ward, appearance was the least of my worries )
I had a very positive experience at the Mayday in Dec 07, despite a complicated birth, at a really busy time for the hospital just before Christmas. I started off in the very lovely birth centre, but was transferred to the Labour Ward when things became complicated and foetal distress detected. Despite my 18-hours of strenuous effort, my daughter was eventually delivered by emergency c-section. The team were super-professional in the early hours of the morning, performed the op very efficiently and were v. reassuring throughout. As there was no space on the post-natal ward, I was kept on the antenatal ward afterwards, not ideal, but the staff were great and as helpful as they could be, given staff shortages. No stay in hospital is ever a fantastic 5-star experience (food, tiredness, feeling rotten and wanting to go home) and unfortunately some people have difficult births. A lot of this can be down to biology and an understandably anxious state-of-mind if things don't go to plan, rather than treatment from a particular hospital or so-called "mean midwives".
Talking to other London mums, you can expect much the same (hectic) experience from any big, busy London hospital, so don't assume the worst from a few individual horror stories. Take an antenatal class, do the tour, and you'll feel much more able to make the right decision for you. When you're in labour, you'll want somewhere closer to home, for sure, as maternity units generally won't accept you until you're a long way through labour, making that last journey pretty awkward.