just noticed your post further down x

Hiya Ladies,
some of you may (or not) have read some of my other posts during my 2nd m/c which started on 29th Feb & finally ended on 27th March. The long & short of the story is this for people who havent read my posts before, in dec 07 I had a m/c 4 weeks into pregnancy, this was totally natural at home & lasted around 5-7 days. I was never rescanned afterwards. I feel pregnanct again within 2 weeks & made it to 7 weeks before I started losing clots & was in agony, I called my Early Pregnancy Unit who said 'they couldnt stop it & to stay @ home or see GP' Luckily I had an appointment ith my gp the same day & she sent me up to the hospital, someone from Gynea was going to fetch me from A&E. I sat there for over 5 hours & nobody saw me, not even a nurse, when I asked how long it would be they be she said there were no beds & I would have to stay in A&E overnight, I refused to & came home. I then had a scan 2 days later (my gp had booked this in advance because I wasnt rescanned after 1st m/c) which confirmed a 7 week baby without an heartbeat! I was told to leave it 7 days then do a preg test, if I felt I wasnt coping & wanted to go to theatre I could call back anytime. To cut a long story short I called various times over the next 3 weeks & never got seen, they wouldnt make me an appointment & even when I told them I was very concerned about infection & it was mental torture after all this time carrying a dead baby inside me, I couldnt grieve etc. On 27th March the m/c started properly at home & I ended up needing ambulance which took me to hospital where I lost the baby in the toilets of A&E. Within an hour of losing the baby they took my bed off me & made me sit outside in the waiting room with all the saturday night drunks, i was exhausted & weak but they still left me there for over 7 hours! I came home (without being seen again) and put in a formal complaint, a week later I was still getting positive preg tests so I was finally seen for a scan, which showed a healthy womb lining! I'd already been diagnosed with an infection by my gp 2/3 days before! Ive been treat like sh@t basically.

So, basically the complaints department have been investigating for weeks & FINALLY tomorrow they're coming out to see me @ my house, this will be to see what investigations have shown & to put my side of the story across to the people who were negligent in my care. The lady whos coming, Alison Whitall, is nurse manager & the head of midwifery & gynea. Im looking forward to coming face 2 face with her! Also Natalie (the complaints manager) will be here taking notes on what gets said.

So im really nervous ladies but I know a few of you have asked how my complaints going & ill keep this post up to date to see what gets done. Quite a few people have said I should see a solicitor about getting compensation for the stress, infection & lack of treatment etc but I havent seen a solicitor yet, tbh I dont know if I will, I just dont think I wanna drag it all up, plus Ive never yet heard of anyone suing the NHS & winning!

Anyway, this is such a loonnnnggggg post so im sorry ive bored you stupid
Lots of love
(a very nervous)
hellen x

how did it go honey? You have more than got a case for complaint, it's shocking and makes me embarrassed to work for the NHS. I don't know much about it but the NHS has to pay out quite a lot in compensation and i think often settle out of court. I would understand tho if you can't face the upheaval of it all but you would be more than entitled.

Let us know how it went
Rach x x x

just noticed your post further down x

just wanted to wish you luck, think you're really brave for doing this cos know how hard it is dredging it all up but still think you're doing exactly the right thing if that helps at all! They deserve to be held accountable for the appalling way they treated you (or rather didn't) and I really hope you do sue them cos it's the only way they'll learn from it and not do exactly the same again. I'll be thinking about you, give em hell and remember it's them in the wrong and them who should be nervous not you, they have a lot of explaining to do and even then it won't make what they did right. Let us know how it goes and stay strong,

lotsa love,
Clare xxx

hun. just wanted to good luck 4 the morn and u dont give up it was ... how u got treated and u could sue them, i have heard folk doing sue and winning. how u n ur wee girl r well take care

Although not nearly as awful! January 07 I found I was pregnant, I went to the EPU the next day (Friday) and they scanned and confirmed that there was indeed a pregnancy sac however no embryo was visible. They said my dates were wrong and I was a week earlier than thought. Monday morning I woke got dressed, had a good up chuck thanks to chronic morning sickness and shortly after had a spot. As this was my third pregnancy (none successful) I shouted for my husband - A & E NOW!!! The nurse at A&E was so convincing that it is common to bleed during pregnancy that by the time we got up to the EPU I was convinced it was fine! Gave EPU my file - it said EMERGENCY referral from A&E. They made me wait an hour and a half! I finally went to the nurse and asked when I was going to be seen and it was Oooops! We forgot about you. Another hour later and there were youngsters going in that had only just come up no referral just needed a scan. I spoke to another nurse who went and reminded the first nurse that I was still there. Finally got in they scanned me. All she said was its bad news I am afraid - the baby's gone. My reaction was gone where????? She said - I dont know your womb is empty - maybe its ectopic???? I reminded her that my scan on Friday showed an intrauterine pregnancy. They ushered us into a councellors room whilst we awaited bloods - we were left there for an hour with NO councellor. No one even checked up on us or me. They took my blood and that was it. 2am the following morning I started bleeding and that was it!

I vowed I would never go back to that hospital and I wont! I am now 23 weeks pregnant and having my baby at a different hospital! Even my OBGYN & GP insisted I DO NOT have my baby there!

Good luck. What hospital was this if you dont mind me asking?

hiya ladies,
thanx for your replies, they really do help. The ladies came out today to see me & basically they crawled up myt bum! Full of apologises & up their hands up & said that I should have been seen within 2 weeks of my initial scan confirming the m/c. They have also blamed my lack of care from the gyneacology department on a ward move, they said that they have moved from a 30 bed ward next to A&E to a 18 bed ward, which made it hard to care for everyone needing care & the reason the communication between EPU & gynea being diluted & crap tbh. They couldnt really comment on A&E but they said that their report was just clinical notes which dont note the time I waited or where I waited, all they basically saidwas that they were VERY busy & needed the beds free'd up asap & obviously because gynea had no beds there was nowhere for me to go. So A&E are blaming gynea for not collecting me & gynea are blaming the ward move for my lack of care. Apparently all they can do is apologise & assure me that Gynea are back on their original ward with 30 beds & that A&E have reserved 2 rooms specifically for gynea patients. I dont believe for 1 minute these rooms will be reserved for ladies from gynea at all though, but I suppose theres no way of me knowing that for sure.

So to cut a long story short they've admitted to everything & said they were in the wrong & apologised for it. They've asked what was so bad about it all for me & I answered that it was mental torture, that for over 3 weeks I was trying to carry on living, looking after my 2 year old daughter & do the shopping etc when all the time I know im carrying my dead baby inside of me & at anytime I could hemorrage or anything! Also I knew I had an infection & no matter what I said or how often I called I was basically told it wasnt a concern! I also said with my 1st A&E visit that my gp had refered me & I hadnt been scanned or examined & for all anyone in the hospital knew I could be having an ectopic & for how long they left me there I could have hemorraged from an ectopic! To this they had no reply or explanation. They also have no explanation has to why no medications were ever brought to me either!

They've offered me an appointment with gynea to discuss future pregnancies, which I have said we arent trying anymore now anyway & then they offered me a check up appointment but ive said theres no need, I took my care to my gp who's done everything gynea would have done anyway, taken samples & testing & prescribing meds etc so that wasnt needed & they also offered me councelling in EPU but ive turned this down aswell.I know they've checked up on everything in my history because they knew i'd had an healthy home birth with my daughter & that the midwife i had has just won a tommy award for going beyond the call of duty has a midwife when a lady who had 6 m/c in my village nominated her for the award! Her name was sally bostock & is a truly amazing midwife. Anyway, back to the point she said that even though the hospital has had 2 new top of the range scanners for the pregnancy department (I ASKED EXACTLY WHEN THESE WERE GOING TO GET USED IF NOT WHEN A BABY DIES INSIDE YOU IN MY FORMAL COMPLAINT) To which their answer was, it isnt just about having the equipment its more about getting people who can use them out of hours. So basically ladies theres been a lot said & im still trying to let it all sink in, im going to get a copy of all that got said at the appointment today & basically theres nothing else to come of it now because they have their 30 beds back & now A&E have reserved rooms for gynea use. I dont really know how to feel about it all, family etc have said I have a strong case for court if I see a solicitor but im still in 2 minds because I dont know if its all worth it, I did this complaints purely because 3 m/c a day are diagnosed at their EPU & if 1 in 3 are treat like me or even 1 a week is treat like this then some serious changes need to take place, which they've said have.

So, thats whats been said basically, what do you ladies think? I REALLY appreciate your support, its much needed so thank you.

Hellen xXx

MrsV im so sorry for your experience, its unbelieveable that hospitals get away with this, the hospital I went to was Kings Mill Hospital in Sutton-in-ashfield in Nottinghamshire. I hope the way you were treat didnt add to your anxiety or grief (thats what kings mill said to me although im sure there words werent heartfelt like mine are to you now) Good Luck with your pregnancy & thanks for your reply. Which hospital was it that treat you badly?

Sounds like they really had to eat humble pie, not much help to you now but must have felt good to hear them admit they treated you badly. Think a lot of us end up feeling like we just don't matter or are making too much fuss about something they see every day so just hearing them try to justify themselves must've at least made you feel like you do have valid complaints and that you do matter. For what it's worth (and if you feel you have the strength after all you've been through) I would sue, not for the money cos we all know that means nothing but like I said last night it really is the only way to hit them where it hurts and make sure they don't allow this to happen again. It's awful to say but knowing they've put someone through what they've put you through isn't enough to ensure the measures they spoke about are actually put in place but costing them money will do it every time. They're not gonna risk doing this to anyone else if they know it's gonna hit them in the pocket and then they have to explain themselves to the powers that be. Only you can make the decision but that's what I think, bet you wish you hadn't asked now sorry! I would imagine it's gonna take a while for what happened today to sink in and for you to weigh up what to do next if anything but you know we're here anytime you need someone to talk to, well done for getting through today and I hope you stay as strong as you've been so far. You have my utmost respect and admiration for taking it this far so whatever you decide you can be proud you made a stand. Take care hunny,

lotsa love,
Clare xxx

God, Hellen, I've said it before but I'll say it again, you are truly amazing. You've done so well to get it that far and to get them explaining themselves. The more I read about this the more angry it makes me and you are so right, that could be any one of us sat in that position from here on again, and I'm not convinced I particularly believe much of what they said. (if they admit to being too negligent they'll be WIDE open for litigation!).

Having said that, I really think you should consider seeing a solicitor, I know for you it's not about the money, and you're not doing it for that, you're doing it to make a difference and get the answers you deserve, but I really think you've got a strong case. If you went to citizens advice as a starter for 10, or research firms who give first consultation free etc they might give you an idea.

You're not suing an individual you're suing an organisation who in this day and age should be able to help extreme cases like you were.

Well done so far, and good luck from here on, Love N xxxxxx

hiya ladies, ive been reading a few things on the internet & to sue the nhs you have to have medical proof that you are suffering physically because of the negligent care & unfortunatly for me the proof isnt provable, in my head I know he mental scarring is there because of what they did, the only thing I can prove is that I had an infection but I could have caught this within a few days of m/c starting, I cant prove its there because of the length of time i carried the baby (because they wouldnt see me) Theres also a problem finding a solicitor who'll sue such a big organisation now because of the amount of law suits filed due to people sueing because of mrsa (which most r losing buecause they cant prove it came from the hospital) so Im left feeling now like they've got away with it. I would love to be able to go into A&E & demand 2 see the rooms reserved for gynea patients OR hear that nobody heading for gynea actually goes through A&E because theres always enough beds. So, I wont be opening a law suit against the nhs but I am gutted because it feels like this complaint hasnt been taken far enough, I dont imagine a damn thing in that hospital has changed just because of ive done & its infuriating. Ive considered getting in touch with my paper just 2 make sure they get disgraced in some way,shape or form. Nik im sure you mentioned your mum writing a book about nhs health care, if whats happened 2 me is in anyway an intrest to her book i'd be pleased 2 have her print it all. Someone actually wrote into our local paper the other day saying how amazing it was etc etc & said 'the people who complain want to get on to the real problem causes, the political people who cut down the nhs money' Im thinking of replying to that ?& pointing out that no politicon (sp?) stopped me being seen in that time, what is the case now, they havent got the money to admit people to hospital, never mind medicate & feed them! Do doctors get paid so little now that they just refuse point blank to see people!'

Thanks for all your advice ladies, i think the interview has just proved to me how much im NOT coping with it, a few times I had to bite back tears because I didnt want them seeing me like that! My husband is still fuming about it all & wants 2 sue but after reading my google searches even hes admitted its probably not going to pan out how i'd like! Thanks again ladies, it means alot 2 have your support

Hellen x

I can totally understand how you feel, long story but I kind of ended up in the same position with my ex-employer. They made my 2nd m/c a million times worse but I still ended up with no real legal recourse due to gaps in the law so know how frustrating it is to feel you've been wronged and yet still have nowhere to go with it. It sounds like you've done your research, as did I with my situation and I came to the same conclusion, they had completely screwed me over and there was nothing I could do about it. It's incredibly painful to have to leave it alone when you know they really should pay for what they've done to you and I still feel a little bitter now if I'm honest but I just wanted to say that it does get easier with time. It's so hard but the only thing you can do is focus on getting yourself well and strong again despite their actions, in the absence of a way to make them pay it really is the only thing you can do that will bring you any kind of peace or consolation. Giving up the fight is a difficult thing to come to terms with and I wish more than anything that there was a way for you to keep going and get justice for the apalling way they treated you but I know what it's like to reach a dead end and it sounds as though that's where you are now. If there had been a way for me to keep fighting I would have but sometimes there just isn't and accepting that was the first step to me moving on and starting to get over what happened to me. You've still got further than I did although what happened to you was a million times worse than my own experience and I still think you should feel proud that you stood up for yourself and at least tried to make sure things changed for the future. It's a crying shame that there's no way for you to get proper justice but if there really isn't there's no point in banging your head against a brick wall and making yourself ill with a pointless battle. Putting what happened behind me was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do but in end it was the only thing I could do and still stay sane, it felt so unfair and like I was letting them win at the time but I can see now that if I'd kept fighting when I knew there was no point then I really would've ended up losing everything including what was left of my marbles! I think it makes you a stronger person to be able to walk away from a fight you can't win and not let the bitterness ruin your life. Everyone who knows your story can see that what they did was wrong and it's not your fault that there's no way to fight them, if you let them ruin your life then they really will have won. Concentrate on you now and getting to the point where you can be happy again, it's a long road but you will get there, you're too strong not to.

Love,
Clare xxx