Hospital reports

[Lemonadesparkler]

Hello everyone,

I have a question about how hospital admission and release reports are used and shared. There's a couple of things in them that I don't agree with. I left the MBU a while ago but felt too weak at the time to question it but it is playing on my mind how these could be used in the future? Could they be used by Social Services for example to justify taking my child away? I know this is unlikely to happen just wondering if in theory they could be used for anything like that? Are they shared with the GP as well. Is it worth challenging what is in them or not?

Thanks xxxx

[Mungomia]

Hi there and welcome to the forum

I'm afraid I don't really know what happens to hospital admissions records etc. and who they are shared with but chances are there will be someone on this forum who could advise better, maybe someone who works for the NHS.

I think most of us on this forum have had that fear about our records and how they are used so it is perfectly normal to think that way. From my experience though, every sort of support that is offered after an illness like PP, is aimed at helping your new little family thrive and flourish.

I do think you should be able correct any errors in your records at some point if you still felt strongly about it. But perhaps leave something like that for when you are feeling really well recovered, just in case it causes you to wobble and brings back bad memories.

Thanks for asking that question though as I'm sure there are other people who have wondered about this.

best wishes

x

[jessieh APP]

Hi Lemonadesparkler,

Welcome to the forum. I'm sorry to read that you are thinking a lot about your reports. I can understand these feelings, it is difficult for me too to know that there are things written about me whilst very poorly, and I too sometimes wonder what is written in there.

However, I don't think you should feel worried about how they will be used and shared. I don't know for definite where they are kept and who they are shared with (perhaps others have information on this) but as Mungomania says above, any information will only be used to help you get better, and to make sure you have the support you need.

How are you feeling now? How long has it been since you had PP? For me I found that I wanted to look at my notes at around a year afterwards, but now that has passed and I'm feeling less of an urge to find out. Perhaps this feeling might pass in time, and if it doesn't, then just make sure you have the right support when looking through them.

All the best,

Jessie xxx

[Ellie_at_APP Partner]

Thanks for your post. It is a really good question and one I think probably a lot of people will really relate to. I can understand your concern and anxiety about your records and what is written in them, especially when you were at your most vulnerable and probably, if you were like me, not aware of what you were doing. It is hard to think that there is a record of that really vulnerable time and that this has been shared with several people. I personally don’t have a copy of my records, as you do, as I’m not sure I am ready to see them yet, so I am not even sure whether I would agree with what was written at the time too.

To answer your question practically (about who receives your records, and what they receive) when you are discharged from hospital a discharge summary is written and sent to all health care professionals involved in your care (GP, health visitor, mental health team etc). Perhaps this is what you have read or did you request a full copy of your notes?

Social services would receive the discharge summary but it is more likely that it would be part of a child protection process or formal process and a separate report would be sent to them specifically for that purpose.

You could always ask professionals supporting you (mental health team, health visitor, social worker if relevant etc) what information they received, just to reassure yourself, so you are clear what they have?

I’m not sure if social services are involved at all? I personally didn’t have experience of that, but know many women on here have. I know that it is really difficult to have them involved, and can be really anxiety provoking, but they do have the best interest of you and your family at heart too, and I think it does help if you can be open and honest with all professionals who are supporting you, so you can get all the support you need. Social services, and mental health professionals, do want to support families to stay together, and to support you as a mum.

Also to be clear, which may put your mind at rest, social services can’t take children away from parents, this can only be done by a Family Court Judge. If this was to happen (which is highly unlikely as you say) It is likely that they may ask to see your medical notes, but would also request current psychiatric reports from independent psychiatrists and decisions would be based on how you are currently, rather than what was happening in the mother and baby unit – one medical report that is written about how you were in the past isn’t that powerful.

I also thought you may like to look at the link below, which is to NHS website about how to access your medical records, including what you can do if you want something in your records changed. This may be helpful for you, if you did really want to challenge anything that was written in the records.

nhs.uk/NHSEngland/thenhs/re...

I hope that you are doing OK, and that you have support you need at home. Do come back about any questions or concerns you have, about this or anything else. We are all here to support each other.

Take care,

Ellie