Care Opinion

Stressed by inconsistent communication

Posted By Mummy546

"Stressed by inconsistent communication"

About: Maternity care / Ward 49 (neonatal intensive care unit NNICU)

(as a service user),

As you can imagine for any parent this is not something you want for your child.

Unfortunately, my experience in neonatal was not great while I was visiting my child. There was a serious lack of communication between staff on the ground. I was constantly being told something different every day.

I felt there was no consistent approach. I would be told off for something a different staff member said could happen the previous day. This happened at least 6 times. This made me feel uneasy and uncomfortable when I was already stressed and I left plenty of nights crying which was not solely because I was leaving my child. I am resilient so was aware of my mental health but I worry how  other parents would manage.

I was also told incorrect and upsetting information about my child's scan while in the bay with other parents, which I'm sure you can agree should not have been done and I should have been brought to a different room.

I'm highlighting this to try and avoid a recurring issue for parents and believe that parents should be provided with a booklet of everything that happens on the ward, what you can and can't expect, to avoid the poor communication between staff and the parent getting the blame when all they want is to care for their baby.

Although I am highlighting negatives and improvements I wish to speak about positives also. I received excellent input from Dr Armstrong and also great communication from Samantha and Angela on the floor.

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Responses

Response from Angela Hughes, Advanced Neo Natal Nurse Practitioner, Women & Children, WHSCT 2 years ago
We have made a change
Angela Hughes
Advanced Neo Natal Nurse Practitioner, Women & Children,
WHSCT

Submitted on 17/11/2022 at 13:41
Published on Care Opinion at 13:42

Dear mummy546

My name is Angela Hughes and I am the acting lead nurse for neonatal services in the Western Trust, I apologize that this response is slower than optimal, this is because I did not have the correct log in to respond sooner.

Thank you for taking time to highlight your concerns with the care that you received in Ward 49, having a premature baby is challenging and stressful and we aim to provide consistent holistic care to the families who need to use our service. I am truly sorry that this has not been your experience and that the actions of staff caused you further stress.

The unit has a parent information leaflet and additional documentation around spending time with babies which was developed during the Covid pandemic. I am sorry that these documents were not given to you, and that a consistent approach was not applied. We are developing an additional leaflet, in response to your experience, and have shared your experience with all staff, in order to improve consistency.

There were many challenges due to the pandemic in relation to visiting/ mask wearing and we hoped to augment our care by encouraging the use of video calling with relatives who could not physically attend the unit. I am sorry that these adaptations were not applied consistently and that you felt that staff reprimanded you when you were spending time with your baby. This is not reflective of the service which we aim to provide, and it is unacceptable.

It was not acceptable that misinterpreted scan results were discussed with you, by a junior doctor, in front of other parents. It is normal practice that scan results are explained by the senior Doctor, usually in a separate room, with an additional family member and a nurse for support. The doctor who spoke to you has been counselled by their clinical supervisor and they apologize for the distress which their actions caused you.

Thank you also for highlighting positives, I have shared your message with Sam and Dr Armstrong.

Please feel free to contact me by telephone 02871216116, or email Angela.hughes@westerntrust.hscni.net if there is anything else which you would like to discuss. Additionally, the trust has a complaints procedure which can be accessed at

complaints.department@westerntrust.hscni.net.

kind regards

Angela Hughes

Acting Lead Nurse

Neonatal Services

WHSCT


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