Ipswich Hospital (Part of the East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust)

Still born 7 years ago so this pregnancy was tough, but the support from the staff and consultant was beyond amazing. They listen to every word. Supported not only me but my partner. They made what was an anxious and scary 9 months manageable, knowing someone was always there to answer any questions and listen to our worries but also to reassure us both. The support was not only there when I was pregnant but even now she is born. And for that we will be forever truly grateful.

Very attentive staff nothing is too much trouble.

I had a very difficult birth with my 2nd child which influenced many decisions regarding my 3rd child’s birth.

I never saw the same consultant twice. None of the doctors had read my notes so I had to repeat a very traumatic story many times. We decided on an induction, but that wasn’t booked in properly and the midwives weren’t sure which day it was. I never saw any of the mental health midwives even though my community midwife referred me.

The on call consultant told me on the day of my induction, after 2 hours of observations, that it wasn’t safe to do the induction- despite having been through months of discussions with my usual consultant, this resulted in a c section being booked last minute and being given less than a weeks notice. I was told completely conflicting information regarding my birth every time I saw a doctor. No one was understanding of my previous severe post natal depression.

It was written in my notes that my husband was to stay with me postnatally due to my poor mental health and ptsd following my 2nd child’s birth and staying on the ward on my own was extremely triggering for me. This never happened as my notes were not read and I had to stay overnight which resulted in me becoming very upset and having to go back onto antidepressants. I have tried to speak to the patient advice line about all of this who stated they were passing this to a senior team yet I have heard nothing since.

I was referred to dermatology and received the appointment quicker than I expected which was good. In the actual clinic it went really smoothly and I felt safe throughout.

Having your baby is such an overwhelming but amazing experience, I believe it’s a time you as parents really rely on each other and the support from one another. To only have my husband with me throughout my C-section and one hour after was awful. I really struggled. I felt it was a time we should experience together, it’s his baby as much as it’s mine and I needed him after my C-section. My day staff were absolutely amazing, but night time I felt so alone and forgotten about.

The maternity block is so under staffed it delayed my induction, stopped me from being midwife lead and having the option of using a bath. There were moments I didn’t feel listened to. However, the staff that were there did the best they could to be attentive to all patients and were very friendly.

I had a very difficult birth with my 2nd child which influenced many decisions regarding my 3rd child’s birth.

I never saw the same consultant twice. None of the doctors had read my notes so I had to repeat a very traumatic story many times. We decided on an induction but that wasn’t booked in properly and the midwives weren’t sure which day it was. I never saw any of the mental health midwives even though my community midwife referred me. The on call consultant told me on the day of my induction, after 2 hours of observations, that it wasn’t safe to do the induction- despite having been through months of discussions with my usual consultant, this resulted in a c section being booked last minute and being given less than a weeks notice. I was told completely conflicting information regarding my birth every time I saw a doctor. No one was understanding of my previous severe post natal depression. It was written in my notes that my husband was to stay with me postnatally due to my poor mental health and ptsd following my 2nd child’s birth and staying on the ward on my own was extremely triggering for me. This never happened as my notes were not read and I had to stay overnight which resulted in me becoming very upset and having to go back onto antidepressants. I have tried to speak to the patient advice line about all of this who stated they were passing this to a senior team yet I have heard nothing since.

I recently had foot surgery at the foot surgery clinic - Walker Close, which is part of Ipswich hospital - the experience was amazing the staff were all very professional, caring and supportive both on the day of the surgery and after care. I cannot thank them enough.

My eye treatments have continued every 8 weeks throughout the pandemic which has been great. It seems that its more organised now that it was before covid.

I've had two operations during the pandemic and the care at all times has been amazing. The consultant I now see has been wonderful, he's so friendly and bought some fun to the hospital stays too just by being so happy and chatty, amazing.