Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital

I gave birth in the labour ward 3 months ago. The overall experience was good, midwives and doctors abided by safety rules. All women who were admitted to the ward had to take a Covid test. The final stage of birth was good, the anaesthetist who administered my epidural was lovely and her assistant made me feel calm. He was joking with me to make me feel relaxed.The student midwife was fantastic, she was trying to distract me from the pain and the atmosphere was very happy. The midwife, however was a bit old fashioned and her attitude was not too friendly. Some time after my daughter was born, she kind of left without giving me much instructions of what would happen next, she didn't bother to change the sheets on the bed after I gave birth, she kind of just left me to fend for myself. Even the lady who came to give me breakfast was a bit shocked at the state of the room and the fact that there was no one there. So that was very disappointing. However, the post natal team were fantastic, they gave me a private room, the ladies who came to check up on me were sassy and so friendly, with big smiles. Overall, I think the whole place is definitely understaffed but I don't know whether it is like that all of the time or just during Covid. However, the baby was delivered safely, and they did check on my well being and the baby's well being throughout the whole time at the hospital. So for that I must say thank you

I had two children here; number of issues with clinical care first time round and clinical oversight and substandard care second time that led to my having an early C-section. They missed a preventable illness, despite my presenting with risk factors and questioning the results of tests on multiple occasions as they were above the current guidelines. As investigation later showed they hadn't updated their guidelines and it was explained to me that the midwives didn't have time to keep up to date with the current guidelines. It was also evident after delivery that different departments used different guidelines. The large size of the baby wasn't picked up till last few weeks of pregnancy, so I missed out on growth scans and adequate antenatal care, leading to an early c-section as deemed the safest option. Other than that, in my experience, they are rude, blame the patients for all their errors and oversights, and with a couple of exceptions, in my opinion, most of the midwives are poorly suited to their jobs. One wasted the whole appointment trying to do chit chat and not talking about anything relevant and then just ticked off the boxes on the forms she was supposed to go through with me. When the following time I asked if we could go through stuff, she pointed to it and said "We already did, see I ticked it off here." She still works there, last time I dealt with her she was giving out incorrect clinical information on maternity helpline. They all still work there, all beyond reproach. Their management say they are busy and overworked. Chaotic, shambolic, you name it. Generally, I witnessed a culture of matey-mateyness, covering up and indifference. Breastfeeding support zero, midwive care after section zero, they just they lie to you, etc. With first child, I had to walk 2 miles while in induced labour to buy painkiller as they wouldn't give me so much as paracetamol, having convinced me to go for an induction and promising epidural very early on in labour. Later on, after many hours of labour, the anaesthetist, who was a star, but seemed to be shared by the whole ward being the only one there, started on my epidural, then had to leave for an emergency, returning hours later, leaving me in horrid pain with no pain relief for hours. And so on, how long have you got.

I saw midwife Ingrid Braham today for an antenatal appointment. She made the experience great- so warm, shared the experience (rather than being just another medical professional) with enthusiasm and explained my results clearly and concisely. This is baby 3- all my experiences at this hospital have been very good.

First of all, shame on me for not remembering the names of the staff. My wife went for a c-section. All the staff, Doctors, midwives, nurses, they have been so professional and at the same time, so human. They made me feel so relaxed in a situation that would normally be stressful. There is only 3 names that I remember: Darren, and Raksha, who worked at the c-section, both very confident and helpful, and Michelle from the Edith Dare Maternity ward, very sweet and reassuring. But, as I said, shoutout to everyone. Reccomended.

I had my baby at Queens Charlotte in September 2020 , it was an incredible experience and I want to thank professor LIz LIghtstone and her team at obstetric medicine for looking after me during pregnancy, they made me feel safe and have helped me every step of the way. Thanks to doctor Webster and doctor Dhanjal, to the nurses Ila and Deborah and to the midwives Mandie and Sabrina. Your care has been excellent and I will be forever grateful for your support. Thank you