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Mixed care experiences during miscarriage

Posted By Feeling better now

"Mixed care experiences during miscarriage"

About: Crosshouse Hospital / Accident & Emergency Crosshouse Hospital / Maternity care

(as a service user),

As it’s infant loss awareness week I felt I had to write this.

A year ago I suffered cramps and phoned NHS 24. I explained I was only a few weeks pregnant and I was suffering cramps on one side and had started to bleed. They advised me to go to A and E to rule out ectopic pregnancy.

I went with my husband scared I was miscarrying. I wish I never went to A and E. I was seen by a male nurse who didn’t show any empathy and I felt like I was keeping him from blethering with his colleagues. He then ask for a urine sample and sent to a toilet at the bottom of the corridor.

At this point the cramps were bad and went to get a sample to find the bleeding was worse. The worst part was having to carry my urine sample down the corridor in tears. I couldn’t believe the lack of privacy or compassion at this point.

I was then told I was being transferred to the maternity unit. This was a shambles. I was in a wheelchair and was being pushed all over the hospital as it wasn’t known where I was going. The person transporting me was trying to take me to maternity inpatients. After been wheeled around she found out it was outpatients I was to go to. I sat there in pain and fear.

I eventually got to the maternity outpatients and couldn’t have asked for better care. I was told I should never of been told to go to a and e. I did miscarry and luckily enough I now have a healthy baby. I still can’t get over the treatment I received in A and E.

The maternity staff are a credit to the NHS. I was also admitted this year to the combined assessment unit and yet again the staff were a credit. I just hope no other woman had to go through what I did in A and E and get the right advice to go straight to maternity.

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Responses

Response from Claire Gilroy, Specialty Doctor, Emergency Department, University Hospital Crosshouse, NHS Ayrshire and Arran 6 years ago
We are preparing to make a change
Claire Gilroy
Specialty Doctor, Emergency Department, University Hospital Crosshouse,
NHS Ayrshire and Arran

Emergency

Submitted on 19/10/2017 at 08:45
Published on Care Opinion at 11:22

picture of Claire Gilroy

Dear Feeling better now,

I am so sorry for your and your partner's loss. Thank you so much for taking the time to provide feedback. I am sure this would have been very difficult for you to do. I was away from the office this week, however in my absence the team has discussed your post at length. Here is the response from our Clinical Director Morten;

"I am truly saddened to hear of the experience you had in our department during your miscarriage last year. I realise it takes a lot of courage to write about this experience and I recognise that you want us to learn from this and improve things for others.

The process of triage nursing and gathering samples can be rather time pressured and impersonal in the A&E environment. I am sorry that you didn't experience the level of sympathy that we expect from our staff.

In particular, your writing about the profound impact of having to carry your urine specimen up the corridor has made my staff and I reflect on the system of obtaining and testing urine samples for all patients. This is a step that can be made better by the process being re-designed. We have thought of a few ways to do this and we will be back in touch once we have started to test these.

For the sake of safety, NHS24 will always direct patients with abdominal pain and bleeding in early pregnancy to A&E in case of ectopic pregnancy. The maternity unit was undergoing a reconfiguration last year and this is possibly the reason why you did not reach the correct area straight away.

Thank you for taking the time to give us the opportunity to improve this experience for others. I wish you and your newly expanded family all the best.'

Thanks to you we are going to mark Infant Loss Awareness Week at our morning huddle today by discussing and reflecting on the issues raised by your post.

Should you wish to discuss your experience in more detail either with myself or Morten please get in touch Claire.Gilroy@nhs.net.

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