***PANORAMA TONIGHT!*** Filmed at my local PCT BARNET GENERAL HOSPITAL, and they have issued a statement.....

[VeniVidiVickiQV]

Dated 26th April 2007

"Dear Mothers To Be

Re: Panorama

We are writing to inform you that Barnet General Hospital will be featured in a 1 hour Panorama Special on Maternity Services.

The Trust is being featured as a result of undercover filming that took place at the start of the year at Barnet Hospital. The programme will make a number of accusations about the care our women receive which are either untrue or taken completely out of context.

At Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust we endeavour to provide the best possible care for mothers and babies. We have recently received an external award for the systems and processes we have in place to ensure that we provide women with a safe and quality Maternity Service.

Whilst the Panorama programme may highlight some concerns in the provision of Maternity care, we have conducted a thorough investigation of the issues Panorama has raised with us. We would like to reassure you that we have found no evidence of our mothers and babies receiving a substandard care or coming to any harmm. As a Trust we strive to give all our motehrs and babies the best possible care.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to speak to either your Midwife or the Doctor caring for you.

Yours sincerely

Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist
Clinical Director Women's and Children's Services.

Carol Littlehales, Head of Midwifery.

Now, this would be the same PCT and hospital whose delay in assisting a friends birth most likely caused the CP their child ended up with. They dont like to complain because they have had 150% support with paediatricians and after care.

This would be the same PCT whose other hospital I attended and was kept waiting from 11am until 6pm for test results without explanation or offer of food or drink despite being tested regularly for Pre-Eclampsia.

The same PCT whose other hospital (CHase Farm), lost my notes whilst I was waiting to be admitted for my Pre Eclampsia and left me in a waiting room for 4 hours from 5.45pm not realising I was waiting - again without food or drink so my DP had to go out and get me McDonalds at 10pm.

The same hospital who told a 16 year old there was no point in trying to b/feed because most youngsters are unable.

The same hospital who rushed me out of my delivery room to shower, not allowing my DP to go and get my washbag from upstairs (I had been on the ward for 2 days), saying they would get me a towel and some soap. Except they didnt and I ended up having to dry myself on a dirty gown on the shower room floor.

The same hospital where one midwife would offer to take DS - who cried and woke every 25 minutes for the first 48 hours, and another would refuse because there was "no point".

The same hospital where a woman whose buzzer was ignored for so long in the middle of the night that she started giving birth on the ward instead of being taken down to the delivery suite.

The same hospital where my 2 year old DD was asked to go home because she was "coughing on the babies" (she has asthma), which meant my partner had to go too and left me from 3pm in the afternoon to cope on my own having had no sleep or no support from midwives for 48 hours.

The same hospital where they insisted a drip be left in overnight, only for it to not be switched on...

There is loads more, i have posted about them before - will look through the archives...

Needless to say, I think I may now write to the PCT and give them a 'Customer's' point of view......

barnet wasn't great for me either. i had placenta previa so was an in-patient for 3 weeks and although most of the care was ok after my cs they just left me for about two hours i couldn't reach my son.

they then wheeled me into the ward whilst complaining that they hadn't had their breaks.

one mw wouldn't take the thing (can't remember what it's called!) out of my hand even though it was swelling up and i couldn't use my hand. another tutted at her and just took it out. i could go on.

yikes. I had better watch this as both my dds were born here. I am lucky as I felt I had good care and attention on both occasions although I know other people who were not so happy. Sorry to hear about your nightmare VVV - sounds dreadful.

I have been back there to A&E for various things over the years and generally it is not good IMO.

I'm going to watch with interest too. Personally, I found Barnet a real pleasure other than one or two narky staff and them fogetting ds2 in SCBU and leaving hin in a corridor(ds2). But to be fair, that was nothing compared to whittington (ds1)

OMG - Whittington....now that really is a hell hole.

my 1st son was born at the whittington, i didn't mind it but that was 13 years ago

Isn't the programme on at 8pm on Thursday night?
Interesting that the hospital felt it had to issue a statement about it.

Donnie, it certainly was had mould all up the walls in the bathroom, hair and razors in the shower stall, cockroaches in the delivery suite, and the rudest staff I've ever met.

Chase Farm had dried blood drips on the floor of the ward that weren't cleaned off the whole 5 days I was there.

Bathrooms were filthy, it was so hot you could hardly breathe. No help with breast feeding whatsover. Food was revolting, dried up sandwiches and not much else. Apparently there was toast in the day room but I couldn't get out of bed to get any (section).

This was 12 years ago, times haven't changed.

Oh crikey, was that filmed in Barnet? Have seen some clips and it looks dreadful. DD was born there so is close to my heart; I have to say in my experience delivery suite was fine, but the postnatal ward and postpartum care were absolute shit. Am pregnant again and the only 2 hospitals near me are Barnet and Chase Farm. How scared am I?

bloody hell - I'm glad I had my kids at home

perhaps it is on on Thursday....

Cant fault the community midwives AT ALL! They were fantastic.

The ward midwives - totally different story. Pot luck. The night staff - particularly wrt to post-natal/post-partum care - absolutely dire. Truly dire.

It is on tonight - 8pm

Don't forget

TONIGHT BBC1 8pm

ah thanks thought i'd missed it

you're welcome

VVVQV - How rotten

Looks like nothing much has changed there.

What a shame. They could have used this opportunity to take a good look and change things for the better.

Instead they are determined to stick their heads in the sand, cover their arses and deny anything is wrong.

I work in maternity services and the things I saw on the clip on This Morning and have read in the newspaper I see at my local hospital and I hear midwives from many other hospitals agreeing with the issues raised.

It will take a mother to die before management/government do anything. Funnily enough I've heard exactly that comment made by midwives before.

3 mins to go, i cant wait to see exactly what is says and what will happen in the next week or two.

as the independant midwives are in londond tomorrow, i hope it helps their cause aswell.

oooh...just started.... looks scary

Sounds an awful place. Tis on now ...

Aaaaaahhhh I may have to watch this from behind a cushion! Or a sofa!

God the NHS is so fucking Third World!

They wanted me to deliver on the ward instead of in the delivery suite as they were full Its shocking!