A woman in the throes of labour says she and her husband were horrified when a hospital advised her to find her own maternity bed in the Yellow pages.
Gail Jordan was due to give birth at Solihull hospital. But when she called them to say she was on her way, she was apparently told by a midwife that the hospital was full. Gail, 38, was then told to find an available bed herself.
Ms Jordan alleges that she asked if the midwife could give her the number of another hospital but was told 'No, you're just going to have look them up in the Yellow Pages,'. She ended up giving birth to her son Alexander at the Warwick Hospital more than 20 miles from her home after her husband rang round some hospitals.
'I was absolutely stunned, in shock,' she said. 'You go through sheer panic, thinking am I going to have to deliver this child at home, in the car, what's going to happen? You're very afraid, afraid for yourself and for your child.'
The hospital disputes Mrs Jordan's version of events saying: 'Telling somebody to look through the Yellow Pages is just not the sort of advice we would give to somebody. If a woman is in labour and the hospital is full we find the nearest hospital that could accept her and call her back within minutes, and offer help in getting her there. We have carried out an initial investigation into this matter but we can't trace this call. We would like Ms Jordan to get in touch with us so we can investigate the matter further.'
February 2007
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