“I am a Doula and have witnessed some fab midwifery at St Mikes. I also think its a shame that a positive report is about `safety' not `care standards' (of course the Insurers would be happy if no-ones suing!) The culture of fear of litigation is a reason that things can end up more medicalised than might be necessary. St Mikes should be praised for all the times the midwives let and even encourage women to birth their way; not according to the best way to keep anyone off their backs.”

“Having seen the shocking situation in the maternity department there, I'm left wondering what exactly was including in the "rigorous assessment". Midwives failing to abide by basic NICE guidelines, dirty rooms and remnants of previous occupants, consultants failing to check patient history before giving "advice" which would have been to the contrary, the list goes on.....

Maybe their "rigorous assessment" was carried out when they were able to brief the staff to actually do their jobs properly first, we'll never know...”

“I too had all four of my children at southmead... But I'm affraid to say standards have dropped heavily since then.... The reception staff on the delivery suite all need to take some chill pills, and one midwife in particular needs to sort her attitude to the patient and their family out... To add to that the staff on quantock ward were terrible, all I saw was them chatting among them selves.. Nothing like when I had my kids... I do not reccomend any new mums using southmead at all”

“My wife had all 7 of her children in southmead and she had first class service with all it was clean tidy and well staffed my sister-in -law had hers at st micheals and was left alone for an hour in which time she bleed very heavy”

“Having had both my children here (one only 6 months ago)-I can agree that St Michaels staff are caring, professional and on the ball.

I was an incredibly nervous patient and they did everything in their power to help and reassure me through two difficult labours.

Congratulations to the team.”

“Never forgotten when my first son was born at Southmead. We had gone for a home birth (in part influenced by the fact that having worked for NHS I did NOT want my son entering this world via the third world hole that is Frenchay or Southmead).

I digress, but whilst my wife was in labour a young female doctor dained to join us. She spent 15-minutes chewing her fingers, before going to touch my wife, at which point I asked if she was going to was her hands?

Her response was that my wife's feet were dirtier than her mouth!

I never took it any further (much to my regret)!”

“Southmead Hospital's maternity wards are terrible - when my wife was there, one ward was like I'd taken a wrong turn and ended up in Mogadishu, the other was something out of Little Britain. In the end, we had to pay £107 a night for a private room. I hope that St. Michaels is an improvement on this.”

“I only wish my grandaughter was born there instead of southmead... The treatment my daughter in law got was terrible... She was letft for 6 hrs covered in blood and not fed.. Lucky we took her in food, well done b m h”

“I can honestly say that the nurses working there are first class. When my son was born we had a midwife who was just finishing her training and a more experienced one supervising. Those two ladies made all the right decisions and kept us informed at every step of the birth. A truly remarkable experience for me too witness and made better by being well informed all the way. Congratulations to the hard working staff, you deserve your applause.”

“Yet just down the road at the BRI, SEVEN filthy wards are closed because of Germs and Desease
This ought tobe Front page news
NO MORE SPIN ! let have some true only facts”