Decision Report 201401750

Summary

Mrs C complained about the standard of treatment she received during her pregnancy and labour given that she had developed antibodies which can cause anaemia in babies during pregnancy. In particular, Mrs C was concerned about the way the pregnancy was managed, and the lack of urgency shown by staff in the antenatal ward and the delay in the delivery of her baby at the Southern General Hospital. As a result, she said that she and her baby had to remain in hospital during which time her baby had to have blood taken regularly. Mrs C said that the treatment she received was unacceptable and she remained extremely distressed about her experiences.

We took independent medical advice from three advisers, who are specialists in obstetrics and gynaecology, paediatric haematology and midwifery. We found that the antenatal care was reasonable and that Mrs C was monitored and managed appropriately in light of the complication. We also found that while there was a delay between admitting Mrs C to hospital to an antenatal ward, and then admitting her to a labour ward to induce labour, this was reasonable given Mrs C's and her baby's clinical condition at the time. Overall, we found that the standard of in-patient care and treatment was reasonable but made a recommendation in light of one of the adviser's concerns about staffing levels.

Recommendations

We recommended that the board:

• review how frequently patients' transfer to the labour ward at the hospital during induction of labour have been delayed to ensure they are satisfied the unit has sufficient capacity for its workload.