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Original poster

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

135 replies

VeniVidiVickiQV · 02/05/2007 14:17

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.

OP posts:
SparklyGothKat · 03/05/2007 21:09

what scared me after watching that, is that I am 13 weeks pregnant and have refused to go to the hospital that I had my other 3 children at, so have been sent to another hospital 10 minutes down the motorway, what if they are full and closed when I go into labour, they might send me back to the hospital that I have refused to go to I hope that it doesn't happen.

I was left labouring in a side room, by myself while in premature labour for hours on end, with the midwife coming in once in a while to check my CTG reading. When I called her the last time, she was on lunch, and another midwife came down, and finally gave me my first internal examination, I was 8cm dilated and the second midwife had to call DH and SCBU, by the time they all got there, Dd2 was well on her way and arrived 15minutes later.

PeachyChocolateEClair · 03/05/2007 21:10

I forgot the friend who was told she was imagining being in labour (despite having had last baby at 30 weeks) at 25 weeks- baby lived a few hours

All at the same hospital, Like Aufish a Unit that covered an entire rural County- although it ahd improved when I had ds3 there thank goodness.

Vev · 03/05/2007 21:10

Margo - it was Bolton RI (North West).

albertson · 03/05/2007 21:15

Have posted this before but the government have deliberately targted "soft" targets like maternity and mental health for cuts and poured money into "sexy" parts of the NHS like cancer - feeling is it's only silly women having babies and nutters who will be affected.I don't know anything about mental health but I know far, far, far too many women self included who've been traumatised by their birth experiences, meaning thanks to NHS incompetence what should be some of the happiest days of their lives have been the most wretched.
There are not enough jobs for midwives - plenty qualify and then can not find jobs. As I've also posted before a friend with a Cambridge degree, fantastic, caring, super bright would make a superb midwife has been told after dedicating three years of her life to retraining in order to help other women that she'll have huge problems finding a job as she is "too middle class"
FFS

SparklyGothKat · 03/05/2007 21:19

this is a posting I did today about the care I recieved at the first hospital. It gives my reasons for not going back there

SparklyGothKat · 03/05/2007 21:20

scroll down a tiny amount.

Nikki76 · 03/05/2007 21:26

This made me cry! Really sad for those poor parents! I had DS at Southmead hospital and I was in labour for three days before his heart rate dropped and they then did an emerg c section.

The labour itself was fine in terms of care etc but the aftercare was pretty crap...I asked for a nurse to help me sit up as I couldn't do it and she said oh I can't, we aren't allowed to lift patients. All I can do is hold my arm out for you to grab onto....I also had sore boobs from them being constantly grabbed and rammed into DS mouth rather than taking time out to show me how to breast feed properly.

Also found a cockroach in the bathroom and when reported it, got given evil wtf do I care look from nurse!!

Califrau · 03/05/2007 21:27

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Lio · 03/05/2007 21:29

Califrau, don't know if you spotted me talking about this on other threads, or maybe I told you about it, but I finally got Barnet General out of my system with EFT (weirdy-therapy, worked for me).

mckenzie · 03/05/2007 21:30

well, after watching this programme I have changed my mind about having baby no 3. DS was born at Barnet and although the experience wasn't great, it was 100% times better than a lot of other woman have recieved. DD was born at home.
But never again for me now, that programme has helped me to make my final decision.

Califrau · 03/05/2007 21:31

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Busybean · 03/05/2007 21:32

One of the hospitals featured is where I may end up on clincal placement in september....scarey. And the manager talking about how there wansnt a problem and how"of course there wasnt 1 midwife, we always have 2 or 3 on duty at all times" buls**t.....plenty of friends who are midwives are in the same (and worst) situations every day.....

PeachyChocolateEClair · 03/05/2007 21:33

There was some idiot on teletext the other day (the daily mail for people who cant be arsed to leave the house) saying that too much money was spent on womens diseases inc. childbirth! Since when was childbirth a womans only isssue? I'm sure men come into the frame somewhere in there.

margoandjerry · 03/05/2007 21:43

How terrible.

I watched it feeling "there but for the grace of god..."

I had very bad experiences ante-natally at my hospital (UCLH) so at the last minute went private which I am very angry about having been forced into but I am so relieved I did.

My daughter was my fourth pregnancy and I could not deal with anything else going wrong and I felt I could not trust the staff to recognise a high risk case when they saw one...

Those poor families.

expatinscotland · 03/05/2007 21:45

It speaks volumes when that lady said she'd pay to go to abroad to have a baby next time.

Curlygirly · 03/05/2007 22:01

I must have been lucky then. I had my 2 sons at Barnet and found the care during the births fine. I didn't find any reason to fault the staff and will be having my 3rd baby there in December.

I didn't want to watch the programme tonight as I don't need to be thinking about that report while giving birth!

hertsnessex · 03/05/2007 22:03

this is where the govt need to take maternity care more seriously to say the least. Independant midwvies are needed now more than ever, its just a shame this isnt the option for everyone. However, maybe homebirths will rise. not to mention doulas needed even more in hospitals to support these ladies.

cx

TwoIfBySea · 03/05/2007 22:18

I keep hearing about these "NHS tourists" who are coming here to utilise our free services, according to nursing friends but they can be a bit dramatic sometimes. Well, if this a free service I am sure they head home quick as their feet would take them, labour or no labour.

I had my dts by emergency c-section during one of the busiest times at St Johns Livingston. I did feel like I was a burden and was glad to get home, I actually begged them to let me go home.

We are planning another baby, this is making me really worried that standards have gotten worse.

TwoIfBySea · 03/05/2007 22:19

Need to ask dh if the health care cover he gets through work would cover maternity care!

expatinscotland · 03/05/2007 22:20

most private healthcare won't cover maternity.

TwoIfBySea · 03/05/2007 22:26

Oh poo.

wrinklytum · 03/05/2007 22:29

What a terrible programme.Absolutely dreadful for the mothers and was greatly saddened for the poor midwives,too.A staffing ratio of 1:23 is absolutely disgraceful,no way can one qualified person care competently and safely for 23 labouring women.I hope the trust is seriously reviewing its policies and staffing levels after this programme.

I feel very lucky that I had excellent NHS maternity care from NHS for both my children.One in local hospital and second on midwife led unit.Could not fault them.

edam · 03/05/2007 22:29

Health tourists get billed. That isn't the problem (although sudden peak in no. of births in some particular trusts is causing local difficulties). The overall problem is the government and NHS senior management get away with appalling, dangerous practice because maternity is so low profile, politically. Women just tend not to kick up a fuss - maybe because we are too busy with newborns, maybe it's too traumatic to revisit.

NadineBaggott · 03/05/2007 22:32

haven't read the thread so don't know if this has beenmentioned.

All you folk who wonder why there's no breast feeding support

there's your answer

not a hope

1dilemma · 03/05/2007 22:34

1:23 shocking! (didn't watch programme though sorry) read somewhere about Germany having problems with lots of Polish people hopping across to give birth, can't remember why they wanted to give birth in Germany though. Maybe it was lack of Docs in Poland??

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