Hospital have stopped doing stork walks!

[Toni_Win]

Hi everyone, sorry this is a bit of a ranty email because I'm really annoyed. 3 weeks ago I had an appointment at my local maternity hospital with a consultant and while there I asked her about visiting the maternity ward to have a look around. Some of you might remember that I'd been having some worries about my local hospital and was unsure whether to go. After meeting the consultant and the midwives at the hospital was feeling better, but still want to visit the unit just so I can see for myself what's really there and what it feels like in the unit iykwim. So I asked the consultant about it and she said just ask your midwife at your next appointment about booking on the next stork walk. Great I thought.

Had the midwife appointment the other day, that was rubbish, but that's a rant for another post. Anyway the midwife told me that the stork walks have been stopped now and it's all online, due to patient security issues! Apparantly this has been planned for months! That's not what the consultant told me. So now I am really annoyed. How are you supposed to get a proper feel of how the unit is from a virtual web based tour which would obviously have been filmed 10 seconds after every inch of the unit was cleaned and tidied. I wanted to see the unit for real and get a feel for the atmosphere and meet some more of the people who work there.

Even more annoying is the fact that even though the tours are now cancelled there is virtual online tour isn't actually available yet. There is no mention of it at all on the hospital website. Aaaaargh.

Has anyone else found that their hospital is no longer letting people visit their maternity units or is it just my hospital?

 

[knopk@]

I would run away from a hospital like that, just wouldnt feel the same without visiting the unit beforehand, I am actually going next week.

Do you have another option?

 

[Toni_Win]

Yes, Calderdale hospital in Halifax is actually the best in the area and gets the highest ratings both generally and for maternity services. If I was having the baby in summer I would't even think twice about it I would be going to Calderdale Hospital. But given my due date is 4th January, so could be having the baby anytime around Christmas/New Year and thinking about the weather last year I was thinking that Dewsbury, which is the local one, would be the best option so we're not trying to travel in snow or heavy traffic.

I think I might try phoning the hospital itself and find out if what the midwife said is really true, especially given no-one at the hospital told me this when the suggested I visit the unit 3 weeks ago.

 

[pinkyprincess]

How can they exopect you to make a choice just like that. Having said that weve been told 'this is your hospital we dont do changes'!!

 

[Toni_Win]

Hi Pinky I work for the Department of Health, no-one can tell you that you can't change hospital if you want to. The only caveat to that being if you want to change hospital you have to be prepared to travel, but as long as you are actually willing to travel to a different hospital they cannot stop you. There is more information about that on NHS Choices about what your rights are. But if you are happy with your local hospital then all the better.

 

[Alexandra84]

Our hospital is no longer doing tours
I don't kow how you're meant to get a feel of the place without a tour either. You're going to be there while in labour,.. I can't imagine that going to a place which I haven't even seen before is going to make me feel at all relaxed or secure...

 

[jomc]

Im not sure about mine... hasnt been mentioned to me yet but must ask about it at my next appointmnt

 

[pinkyprincess]

Thanks Toni. When we went to the doctor to tell him I'm pregnant he said that we'd just get referred back?

 

[positivity :)]

oh sorry about that toni, i'll check mine next week, hope they are still doing it! x