"Treatment by a Social Worker"

Whilst looking after a pregnant lady in KEMH (King Edward Memorial Hospital), I was witness to a Social Worker who came to speak to this lady. The Social Worker stood for a few minutes in the doorway which was quite intimidating. Then she came into to room and sat down and didn't introduce her name. The patient reported feeling powerless, intimidated and the Social Worker inferred the decision was already made, where she said DCP (Department of Child Protection) had become involved in her care, which had never happened before. In my opinion,the Social Worker was very confrontational and immediately asked questions about where the patient had been involved in mental health services before. The patient was so upset and I felt this may hinder her progress in getting well that I reported the incident to a senior staff member on the ward to explain what I had witnessed. This was also documented in the patient's progress notes. I was quite upset from witnessing this seemingly very confrontational Social Worker.

I am concerned about possible repercussions, but more importantly I hope my feedback leads to change, so incidents like this don't occur again.