Mothers demand motion over ‘boiling’ maternity ward likened to ‘scene from warfare film’ as infants go floppy, girls faint and discharge themselves early
New mothers have revealed how babies are going floppy and women are voluntarily discharging themselves early from a ‘boiling’ hot maternity unit which has been likened to ‘a war movie’.
A petition has attracted hundreds of signatures calling for urgent improvements at Homerton University Hospital in Hackney, north-east London.
Mothers are said to be fainting within hours of giving birth while babies have struggled to stay awake in the sweltering conditions, critics say.
A patient group is calling for action to tackle the maternity ward’s ‘horrendous’ conditions, which have caused some women to go home without doctors’ approval.
Hundreds of women have raised concerns about poor care, according to Deborah Sayagh, who chairs the hospital’s maternity and neonatal voices partnership.
Launching the campaign alongside her was Anna Clarkson, who had her two children at Homerton University Hospital and has described conditions on the maternity unit as ‘boiling’ and ‘like a scene from a war movie’.
Ms Sayagh, who lives in Hackney, gave birth to her three daughters under the care of Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the hospital.
She told the Times: ‘Over the years, there have been ongoing cases of women or midwives fainting on the wards because of the heat.
A petition has attracted hundreds of signatures calling for urgent improvements in maternity services at Homerton University Hospital in Hackney, north-east London
Anna Clarkson, who had her two children at Homerton University Hospital, has described conditions on the maternity unit there as ‘boiling’ and ‘like a scene from a war movie’
‘The heat is unbearable. Even in the winter months, it is boiling hot. Babies are so hot, they are going floppy and are struggling to stay awake or initiate feeding.
‘It is so hot that women are self-discharging from the hospital before the doctors have given them the okay to go home. Women feel the heat makes it too dangerous to stay on the ward. It is a real safety issue.’
An inspection last year by NHS watchdog the Care Quality Commission described how dozens of women had raised the alarm about poor postnatal care at HUH.
And the CQC’s latest report has ruled that two in three maternity units across the NHS across England and Wales were ‘unsafe’.
Ms Sayagh accused Homerton health chiefs of having ‘done nothing’ despite being ‘aware of the problems on the postnatal ward for a long time’.
She added: ‘It feels like postnatal care is at the bottom of the priority list.
‘Poor postnatal care is not just a problem at Homerton – it is happening around the country. The NHS must start taking women’s voices seriously.’
Her online petition urges the trust to install air conditioning and dimmable lighting and has so far received almost 700 signatures.
Ms Clarkson, who has co-signed the petition, said of the hospital: ‘I was told it was on their list of concerns. That was eight years ago and still nothing has happened.
‘I can’t think of anyone who has had a positive experience on the postnatal ward. It means being a mother gets off to such a bad start. Some babies are floppy and are not initiating feeding.
‘The hospital has a duty to listen to the voices of hundreds of women who have raised concerns about the conditions. This should not still be happening in 2024.’
A spokesman for Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust said: ‘We recognise that there are issues around the state of the environment in our post-delivery ward and have been making efforts to resolve these issues.’
They said these new actions included installing air conditioning units in the ward bays over the summer and constantly measuring temperature levels in the ward.
The spokesperson added: ‘We have carried out an estate and environmental review to explore the feasibility of expanding and modernising the maternity ward and are planning to include a refurbishment plan in our capital programme for next year.
‘We have also made a representation to a recent NHSE survey of national maternity and neonatal services facilities to highlight our concerns and bid for resources.
‘Additionally, we have launched a Maternity Improvement Plan focused on optimising existing space on the maternity ward to enhance the postnatal experience for mothers and their babies.’
Earlier this year regulators ordered the trust’s Homerton Fertility Centre to suspend services after being warned that 153 embryos from 45 women may not survive the freezing process.
Essential staff were told in March to work in pairs under ‘increased security’ after concerns were raised about unsupervised access to storage areas for eggs, sperm, and embryos,
An incident report detailing four cases where embryos went missing suggested that contamination, the use of ‘experimental techniques’, and equipment blunders may have contributed to failure of freezing processes.
The Homerton Fertility Centre treats 360 patients a year and opened a helpline after contacting their fertility patients about the suspension.
The clinic started seeing patients again from August after the regulator announced it was ‘satisfied’ with action taken in response.
