This is Care Opinion [siteRegion]. Did you want Care Opinion [usersRegionBasedOnIP]?

"Very ill after abortion"

About: Singleton Hospital / Gynaecology West Wales General Hospital / Gynaecology

(as a relative),

accompanied a family member to Singleton Hospital sexual health services-despite living in carmarthenshire,were told this was the only place to go..waiting room grim,and two other obviously fairly upset women there.consultation took all of 15 mins,nothing in terms of 'counselling',approximately 6 weeks pregnant,issued with mifepristone and information leaflet,told to come back two days later.

Heavy bleeding ensued within 12 hours-VERY heavy,leading to nearly passing out,soaking through several sanitary towels within an  hour,lots of clots-very alarming.nearly called ambulance.nothing on info leaflet mentioned possibility of this..went back on second day,little interest shown when mentioned bleeding,and a scan denied.blood pressure taken (normal?),blood drawn for bloodcount,misoprostol and antibiotic suppository administered..also given yet more antibiotics-when i questioned this,were told ;in case of STI'..when i questioned whether STI's had been tested for-'yes',and whether test results had been made available-'no'-so yet more antibiotics,  given 'just in case',possibly completely unnecessarily????declined them..asked when blood count results would be available-'not for 4 hours'(had to leave to get home in time for school pick up before then)told to ring for results later on in day-tried number 10 times,nobody picked up.

Continued bleeding for next three weeks,no pain or smelly discharge-attended gp's surgery,checked out,given more antibiotics for 'possible' infection..pregnancy test done-showing positive..referral for scan to West Wales General..bleeding really heavily again by now..after sitting in a and e for hours in hope of getting seen before scan,had to leave and attend scan,but were told we'd 'fall of list' if left a and e..scan showed 'retained products',told not to leave..sat in a and e again,finally got seen hours later..asked why had gone to singleton and not west wales general in first place?? another lot of misoprostol,and surgery if nothing happened over night..nothing happened,d and c next day-surgeon and nurses were helpful and reassuring..heavy bleeding,blood pressure dropping dangerously, requiring drip,,also more antibiotics on drip..also two units of blood advised..first unit given,temperature going up,so second unit delayed til temperature went down,,then told due to staff shortage second unit could not be administered til next morning (would have been day three in hospital..)voluntarily left that night..

questions:

1) possibility of there having been partial miscarriage of non viable pregnancy,since scan cannot detect heartbeat at 6 weeks?why was this not considered??

2)why no mention of needing somebody around in case of heavy bleeding after first pill?

3)why offer of antibiotics on spec for STI?

4) why supply phone number,if phone appears to not get answered?

5)why send people across health boards for services offered far more locally?

7)how are people in carmarthenshire who are much younger,less supported and more frightened than my family member supposed to get themselves to singleton,where,in our experience,there is very little to assure or support them through what can be a harrowing experience in itself,without added trauma of what happened to us??

7)how 'safe' is it to administer the same dose/strength mifepristone,regardless of bodymass/weight/weeks of pregnancy to everybody,and then let them go home,where they might be on their own,with nobody else aware of what is going on-given what happened/might have happened to my family member??

Do you have a similar story to tell? Tell your story & make a difference ››

Responses

Response from Jeff Bowen, Head of Patient Experience, Hywel Dda University Health Board 5 years ago
Jeff Bowen
Head of Patient Experience,
Hywel Dda University Health Board
Submitted on 21/05/2018 at 13:31
Published on Care Opinion at 16:14


Thank you for providing this feedback and I am sorry to hear of your concerns and your recent experiences.

Please do call the Patient Support Team on 0300 0200 159 or e-mail hdhb.patientsupportservices@wales.nhs.uk who will be able to talk to you in more detail and offer advice and assistance.

  • {{helpful}} {{helpful == 1 ? "person thinks" : "people think"}} this response is helpful

Update posted by bearsdaughter (a relative)

Thank you for above reply.

Please note that I wanted to raise various questions, and would be grateful for answers. I was not looking for advice.

If 'assistance' offered above leads to change of practice, with potential to advert similar or worse happening to others, I am happy to engage in dialogue!

Response from Marcia Buchanan, Patient Experience, Swansea Bay University Health Board 5 years ago
Marcia Buchanan
Patient Experience,
Swansea Bay University Health Board
Submitted on 22/05/2018 at 09:45
Published on Care Opinion at 16:48


Dear bearsdaughter,

I am sorry to hear that you were dissatisfied when accessing this service recently. I apologise for the fact that your experience was poor.

We really try hard to improve our services based on the comments we receive from our patients

We would like the opportunity to discuss your experiences more fully and to apologise in person.

I would appreciate it if you would be willing to contact Joanne Hearne on 07581405418.

Thank you.

  • {{helpful}} {{helpful == 1 ? "person thinks" : "people think"}} this response is helpful

Update posted by bearsdaughter (a relative)

Having spoken to Sexual health services at singleton,it appears there is NO PROVISION for people living in carmarthenshire to access a termination. Only very limited numbers in Pembrokeshire! It appears that services are completely overstretched and underprioritised, leaving young vulnerable people facing long journeys, insufficient support or aftercare-up to 700 a year (and that are only official figures..) in carmarthenshire a year. I think this is completely unacceptable and needs addressing as a matter of urgency, I feel that Hywel dda Health board is failing in providing help and support for some people in dire need-and from what I hear,this has been happening for a long time.

Opinions
Next Response j
Previous Response k