Mum’s miscarriage hell ..in HOSPITAL CAR PARK
Couple demand answers after losing their baby following horrific ordeal
A DISTRAUGHT mum who sat bleeding in her car outside a hospital as she miscarried her baby has hit out over her treatment.
The woman, who was 14 weeks’ pregnant, was advised to go to Paisley’s Royal Alexandra Hospital (RAH) A&E unit after she started bleeding.
But her partner, who feared she wouldn’t make it there as she was losing so much blood, diverted to Vale of Leven District Hospital, in Dunbartonshire, which was nearer their Balloch home.
When they arrived, he said he spoke to a staff member on the hospital intercom. A hospital source says an offer of help was made, but the couple dispute this.
The man called 999 and waited 25 minutes for an ambulance. By the time it arrived, the mum was described by her partner as “losing consciousness”.
The couple said she suffered a seizure before being placed on a stretcher by paramedics and taken to the RAH, where she was given six pints of blood in a life-saving transfusion.
The couple, who later held a funeral for their tragic baby daughter, have demanded answers from NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) over the ordeal in September.
The mum had thought something was wrong and called Vale of Leven’s maternity unit. But she was told not to worry and an appointment was made for later that week. However, her concerns increased the next day and she called the hospital again.
She said: “I had a rush of water but was told, ‘Don’t worry’. We were about to go in to B&M in Dumbarton when I started bleeding. In a panic, we started driving to the maternity unit at the Vale. I phoned and said I was on my way but was told to go to A&E at Paisley. I thought I wouldn’t make it in time so we went straight to the Vale, where they told us to phone 999.”
Her partner said: “I spoke to somebody on the intercom at the Vale. They said we needed to go to Paisley but I didn’t think she would make it.”
As the bleeding worsened, the couple waited for an ambulance to arrive from Greenock – despite two other mercy vehicles sitting parked near them.
She said: “The bleeding was getting worse and by the time the ambulance arrived, I collapsed as I got out of the car and had a seizure.”
Her partner said: “I knew at that point we had lost our baby.”
The mum added: “If we’d followed the advice to go to the RAH, I could have died. That’s a 45-minute journey.”
At the RAH, the couple’s fears were confirmed and they were told the baby had not survived. The mum was discharged from hospital the next day.
I knew at that point we had lost our baby PARTNER OF WOMAN WHO MISCARRIED
She said: “I’m convinced my daughter might still be here if my concerns had been dealt with earlier. We need to know why all this happened the way it did. ”
NHSGGC said the RAH was the correct place for her to be seen under the circumstances but added it was “understandable” they made a decision to travel to Vale of Leven Hospital.
An NHS spokesperson said: “We’d be happy to meet with this woman and her partner to discuss their concerns and answer questions they have.”
The Scottish Ambulance Service said the vehicle which attended was the closest and most available at that time.