Requesting maternity notes

[LJaydow]

Does anyone know if you can actually request a copy of your maternity notes from the hospital?

I would like a copy to see the procedures that they carried out etc, as im having a hard time coming to terms with the birth etc and would like to sit down with a midwife and have them actually explain the actions etc that were taken.

How would I go about doing this? I dont know who im meant to ask!

Sorry, dont know where this belongs either

 

[Lianne1986]

you can get a phone number/email adress usually from ur GP's surgery or contact PALS at ur hospital i think xxx

 

[KayBea]

Ask your midwife who is delivering your baby at the hospital and also write it on your birth plan incase you forget to ask..

You cant have the originals as they go in your nhs hospital folder but they should be able to photo copy most of it.
Xx

 

[going_crazy]

Call the PALS at your local hospital and they will send you out a form to fill in. It does cost between £1-£50, but I think the £50 is if you want your whole medical notes!

xxxx

 

[LJaydow]

Call the PALS at your local hospital and they will send you out a form to fill in. It does cost between £1-£50, but I think the £50 is if you want your whole medical notes!

xxxx

?!?!?! that is crazy! For that I want a bloody plaque in the maternity ward with my name on it for the donation!

 

[going_crazy]

Call the PALS at your local hospital and they will send you out a form to fill in. It does cost between £1-£50, but I think the £50 is if you want your whole medical notes!

xxxx

?!?!?! that is crazy! For that I want a bloody plaque in the maternity ward with my name on it for the donation!

I think they told me the £50 would be for everything since you were born, so going back 30 years worth of notes!

Not 100% sure though so best ask before you apply! xxx

 

[supertabby]

I don't know how you go about it after you've been discharged, but I had a review with my midwife before I was discharged. It took about an hour and she explained what happened at each stage and why etc, I had complications and an emc. I was offered this because I was having a hard time and they thought I had PND.

Maybe ask your gp or hv if its possible to have a similar review, as just reading the medical notes alone is unlikely to help as a lot of it is medical jargon.

Also I got my medical notes when I was discharged - my midwife reviewed them at my postnatal visits and then took them away with her when I was discharged.

 

[missbabypo]

I'm quite tempted to try and get my notes from when I had Riley. When I was in slow labour with Louie I found out from a wonderful male midwife that everything they had told me about my labour with Riley was different to what was in my notes so I want to know what really happened.

 

[emerald78]

I would advise you call the Maternity ward and ask about the review service they offer lke Supertabby had. All hospitals should offer this serivce as its important for the mother to be able to find out exactly what happened. You do not need your notes for this as the midwife will have them so they can talk you through everything. Its a free service and they will tell you everything you need to know.

PALs could help with the number buts PALs is more for 1st line complaints. THey are very helpful but its the Maternity ward that will help you out.

 

[purplepower]

You can request to vie them, if you want a copy then you usually have to pay.

https://nctpregnancyandbabycare.com/info-centre/information/view-38

It is worth contacting the maternity unit or PALS and asking if they offer a debriefing service, my hospital does.

 

[Thegirl]

I had a birth review at my request about three weeks after the birth. The midwives on the ward suggested it as my birth was very different from planned (booked in for home birth ended up with crash c-section).
I made an appointment with the head midwife. She went through all of their notes and records with me, explained the notes, charts, the heart beat monitoring and what ended up happening. She even pointed out the bit where the midwife who came out to me at home had noticed there was a problem as her handwritting changed.
She was really helpful and also spoke about options for the future. I am not restricted to a c-section in the furture although will be allowed to opt for one if I wish. She also took time to explain that what I was feeling about the birth then would be different from what I might feel by the time we want to try for another as it was all a bit fresh and raw then.
I think it helped. There was no reason for what happened in my case, nothing I can avoid for the future which I was a little disappointed in as I think I would have felt better if there was something to blame for it all happening. Despite the dramatics of my little ones arrival I did feel positive about the whole thing before we had the meeting as I knew we had been lucky the problem was spotted so early in labour and everyone acted so quickly. After the meeting I really understood how lucky we were as the cord tests showed he only had about five minutes more oxygen.
If you want actual physical copies I would assume that your notes would be covered under the data protection act in which case they would have to supply copies of your notes within 40 days of a request and the most I believe that they can charge is £8.

 

[carly_mummy2b]

I still have my maternity and labour notes, nobody has ever asked for them?!