1/5 A A. 6 months ago on Google • 83 reviews
Perinatal
mental
health
unit:
I
left
almost
immediately
after
arriving.
They
tried
making
me
wait
to
see
the
psychiatrist
before
leaving....
no
doubt
so
that
it
would
count
as
an
admission
and
the
hospital
could
keep
the
money
for
the
day.
I
knew
the
second
I
walked
into
the
bare,
ill-
appointed
room
that
this
was
not
right.
The
room
didn't
have
a
CHANGE
TABLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!;
the
change
pad
was
placed
IN
the
cot
and
I
still
don't
know
where
your
zinc/wipes/nappies
were
meant
to
go
while
changing
baby,
and
whether
the
baby
was
meant
to
sleep
with
the
change
pad
next
to
it;
no
hand
soap/dispenser
in
the
en
suite;
the
cheapest
pull
down
window
blind
with
blaring
sunlight
that
no
baby
could
sleep
through
(I
was
told
some
patients
pin
up
make
shift
covers
to
overcome
this),
and
you'd
have
to
sit
in
the
room
staring
at
four
walls
like
it
was
a
prison
cell
til
the
sun
passed
and
the
blind
could
finally
go
up;
no
baby
bath,
not
even
a
plastic
tub
in
the
ensuite,
you'd
have
to
take
your
baby
up
and
down
a
hallway
just
to
bathe...
bye
bye
relaxing
bedtime
routine,
instead
there
was
a
communal
trough
in
the
middle
of
the
ward;
no
freezer
or
fridge
in
the
room
for
frozen
EBM
or
fresh
EBM
or
formula;
no
freezer
on
the
WHOLE
unit
(the
nurses
would
trek
your
item
back
and
forth
from
another
ward's
freezer,
you
couldn't
access
it
yourself);
the
fridge
was
in
the
nurse's
station
and
you
have
to
stand
there
waiting
for
someone
to
attend
the
desk
and
then
sign
in/out
your
EBM,
which
took
ages,
you
couldn't
access
it
yourself
when
required;
no
bench
space
in
the
room
for
breast
pumps,
steriliser,
bottle
warmer,
toys,
wipes,
creams,
nappies,
bottles,
just
a
tray
table
and
two
bed
side
tables;
no
TV
in
the
room
to
pass
a
bit
of
time
in
private;
apparently
there
was
a
court
yard
but
I
don't
know
how
far
away
it
was,
which
is
completely
impractical
for
someone
like
me
who
likes
to
take
baby
out
at
each
play
time;
for
a
3
week
stay
you
were
allocated
one
shelf
in
a
bar
fridge
in
the
communal
kitchen
for
personal
food
and
any
expressing
equipment;
I
was
told
not
to
bring
a
monitor
by
one
staff
member
then
when
I
arrived
I
was
told
I
could
bring
it
if
it
doesn't
distract
me
from
group
sessions,
I
was
told
we
would
"hear"
the
baby
and
a
monitor
was
unnecessary....
that's
one
way
to
make
a
baby
scream
its
lungs
out
for
a
protracted
period
until
someone
is
around
to
hear
it,
through
a
closed
door,
down
a
hallway,
over
any
other
screaming
babies.
The
admission
process
was
drawn
out,
and
as
a
new
mother
experiencing
some
post
natal
distress
and
the
stress
of
packing
everything
for
a
3
week
stay,
and
carrying
frozen
EBM
on
a
36
degree
day,
making
me
wait
in
reception
for
over
half
an
hour
with
a
baby
was
unhelpful,
especially
since
admission
forms
are
all
done
online.
In
contrast,
I
was
told
that
the
early
parenting
unit
(sleep
school)
has
black
out
pods.
I
wonder
what
other
facilities
it
had
that
the
perinatal
psych
unit
didn't.
I
wasn't
able
to
view
a
room
there
on
the
day
nor
could
I
be
admitted
there
on
the
day
apparently.
Perhaps
crazy
ladies'
babies
aren't
as
important
as
those
who
just
need
sleep
training.
Sleep
school
must
be
more
lucrative
for
the
hospital
and
so
better
facilities
are
provided
to
bring
in
the
clientele.
I'm
dumbfounded
at
how
lacking
and
unsuitable
this
unit
was
for
perinatal
patients.
It
smacked
of
a
quick
and
cheap
refurb
of
a
previously
unsuccessful
ward
repurposed
to
make
the
hospital
money.
I
don't
understand
how
anyone
would
be
happy
here
or
how
any
partner
would
be
happy
to
leave
their
partner
and
child
there
for
3
weeks.
The
conditions
I
saw
would
have
escalated
my
distress,
not
helped.
I
stayed
for
a
while
in
case
I
was
being
hasty,
and
did
an
express
while
waiting.
By
the
time
I
got
the
milk
to
the
fridge,
got
to
the
kitchen
and
rinsed
equipment,
the
baby's
wake
time
was
nearly
over,
and
the
items
I
had
requested
be
frozen
after
expressing
were
still
in
the
fridge
when
I
left.
My
MCH
nurse
was
very
surprised.
Do
not
go
here
unless
you
inspect
first
and
ask
a
lot
of
questions.