Decision Report 201405450

Summary

Mr C and Miss A complained about the care and treatment Miss A received during her antenatal period. In particular, they were concerned that their baby had been born at home rather than in hospital as planned. They complained that the responsibility for the birth of their baby occurring at home lay with the board and that the board had failed to stay in control of the birth. They were also concerned about the advice given when they contacted the Maternity Assessment Unit (MAU) at the Princess Royal Maternity Hospital (the hospital) just hours before the birth of their son. Miss A and Mr C also complained about the board's handling of their complaint.

We took independent medical advice from one of our advisers, a consultant obstetrician. We found that the care and treatment given to Miss A during her antenatal period was reasonable and appropriate and that appropriate observations were made at each antenatal clinic attendance which had occured at appropriate intervals. We also found that the advice given by the midwife when they contacted the MAU at the hospital was acceptable and appropriate.

When responding to their complaint, we found that the board had accepted that Miss A and Mr C had experienced poor communication during the antenatal period and following the birth of their baby. The advice we received was that the board had also provided a reasonable and appropriate response to the issues raised by Miss A and Mr C. The board explained that the concerns about communication had been discussed with staff. While we recognised that the board had already apologised to Miss A and Mr C, we made one recommendation.

Recommendations

We recommended that the board:

• provide details on the action taken in this case to ensure improved communication with patients and their families.