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C section discharge

Posted By encryptionwf76

"C section discharge"

About: King Edward Memorial Hospital / Community Midwifery Program King Edward Memorial Hospital / Maternity

(as the patient),

I was admitted to the CMP (Community Midwife Programme) at KEMH. In my opinion, my midwife Sam is an absolute godsend, and really did a fantastic job of supporting me throughout my pregnancy and after. I have no fault with the CMP, they are fantastic.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the hospital stay. Whilst the midwives that cared for me during my stay were fantastic, caring and very helpful, I feel the same cannot be said for management. 

Backstory - I gave birth to my first child in 2018 and was discharged after 4 days, with a very fragile mental health issues that I raised to psych at the hospital. Unfortunately, I was admitted to the Mother Baby Unit not long after my discharge for centralised anxiety, I was in there for 2.5 weeks and was placed onto medication which I still currently take. 

I did not want to be discharged too soon on this stay for my second child, and it was mentioned by my midwife that a 5 day stay would be recommended. I raised my concerns with the midwives that were caring for me, the midwives were great, really worked hard to make sure that I was ok and they flagged it with the psychs and management.

Unfortunately, I felt that my concerns were heard on deaf ears and I was discharged 2.5 days after my c section by management and the psych. I had my catheter and drip tubes removed hours before, was only given enough pain killers for 2 days and was sent on my way with my newborn.

I feel I am lucky that I had the support of the CMP (Sam and Steph) who do home visits, as this was a particularly difficult time for me and I struggled mentally in the days and week after my surgery. I believe I should not have been discharged so early after serious abdominal surgery and with a history of mental health, particularly after voicing my concerns a number of times about being discharged too early. 

I am sharing this story so that management and the psych team can read this and take note, and hopefully amend their practice so that no other mothers go through the same experience. Mental health is to be taken seriously, but I felt mine was not.

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Responses

Response from Jodi Graham, Executive Director, Sir Charles Gairdner Osborne Park Health Care Group 2 years ago
Jodi Graham
Executive Director,
Sir Charles Gairdner Osborne Park Health Care Group

Submitted on 30/11/2021 at 1:59 PM
Published on Care Opinion at 3:19 PM

picture of Jodi Graham

Dear encryptionwf76,

I am sorry for the delay in providing you with a response to your feedback.

I would like to start by congratulating you on the birth of your second child. It is lovely to hear you felt well supported by Sam and Steph from our Community Midwifery Practice group and our midwives, both throughout your pregnancy, your stay at KEMH and afterwards at home.

The Women and Newborn Health Service (WNHS) strives to provide a safe environment where patients are encouraged to feel comfortable to advocate for their health and the health of their baby and I am sorry you felt your concerns were not properly considered when you were discharged home two and a half days following your caesarean section, particularly with regards to your postnatal experience with your first born. It is the expectation of our service that our staff and our patients make well informed decisions as a team so that the best health care can be provided. This includes care for our mothers after the physical act of giving birth, and just as importantly, their mental health.

The WNHS Department of Psychological Medicine is a women’s mental health service for patients of King Edward Memorial Hospital (KEMH). KEMH obstetric patients are welcome to access Psychological Medicine in their antenatal period for up to 12 months after the birth of their baby. They can be contacted on (08) 6458 1521. In addition, there are a range of helpful community mental health services and resources available for perinatal women and their families.

Pregnancy, Birth and Baby Helpline - 1800 882 436 PANDA National Helpline – 1300 726 306 Ngala Parenting Line – (08) 3968 9368

The feedback that you have provided has been taken very seriously. Should you wish for an investigation to be undertaken and an individualised response be provided to you, I would encourage you to contact the WNHS Consumer Liaison Service on (08) 6458 1444.

KEMH strives to provide quality patient-centred care and I do apologise we have not met your full expectations on this occasion. I wish you and your family the best for the future.

Yours sincerely,

Jodi Graham

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