Miscarriage units vital as parents in Wales failed by lack of service
Here, leader of Plaid Cymru Leanne Wood argues that a lack of support for women who suffer a miscarriage is a public health crisis...
IN LATE August this year a woman named Jessica Evans came forward and spoke publicly about her horrific experience of suffering several miscarriages in Wales’ hospitals and brought to light a health crisis that has gone largely unnoticed – until now.
Jessica was refused a referral to a specialist miscarriage consultant in Wales after miscarrying four times. She says that greater support is needed from the Welsh NHS for women who suffer miscarriages.
Jessica’s story sparked a torrent of responses from women who had gone through similar experiences, and following a request posted on social media, I received numerous distressing emails from people across Wales who have also suffered as a result of Wales’ inadequate miscarriage support services.
The stories I have heard only scratch the surface of this issue.
Early Pregnancy Units (EPUs) are often not open seven days a week – despite NICE guidelines that specify this should be the case. Not only does this often lead to long waitingtimes, patchy provision and a lack of availability of expert help, but women are also often forced to rely on Accident & Emergency units. A&E units are not equipped to deal with miscarriages and patients often fail to receive the long-term care they need following a miscarriage at an A&E unit.
Many EPUs are also located next to maternity wards. Women who suffer miscarriages often find themselves in waiting-rooms or even in wards with pregnant women. The same is true of scans, with women suspected of miscarrying being examined alongside women having their 12- or 20-week scans.
The emotional trauma of a miscarriage can be horrific – trauma that is only exacerbated by having to be surrounded by babies and pregnant women.
One woman told me her harrowing story of being admitted to the Prince of Wales Hospital with a suspected miscarriage, only to be placed on a ward next to the labour unit. She was told that as the ward was not private, her husband would not be permitted to stay with her overnight.
During the evening, in extreme pain, she passed one of two miscarried twins on the floor of the toilet.
She then faced explaining to an elderly patient on her shared ward that she had miscarried and there was no baby. As you would expect, she described this as “the most horrific, heart-breaking episode of [her] life”.
Regardless of care and support services available, a miscarriage will have a significant emotional impact on the woman and her partner. However, the support and care given to those who suffer miscarriages fall shockingly short.
It appears to be a common occurrence, and due to overstretched resources in our NHS and a lack of specialist provision, women who have suffered the trauma of a miscarriage are sent home with little more than a few leaflets.
The process and provisions are not consistent across Wales, meaning many women are simply never made aware of support that is available. Evidence from many people I have spoken to, albeit anecdotal, seems to indicate that support often comes as a result of individual NHS staff going above and beyond.
Without proper mental – and physical – aftercare we are failing to support women, and men, at a vulnerable time.
There are no dedicated recurrent miscarriage clinics in Wales.
Although there are miscarriage specialists, many women are referred to gynaecologists who are not specialists in miscarriages. The continual lack of access to a specialist leads some women to choosing private provision – paying for a service which should be accessible to all those who need it.
Women are also subject to a cruel postcode lottery.
Some women in north Wales have to go to Liverpool for treatment and care, while women in other parts of Wales do not even have this option. Even where referral to Liverpool’s recurrent miscarriage unit is possible, many women indicated that this was not offered to them, and in some cases even refused when requested.
People across Wales are being let down by a serious lack of miscarriage support services.
I recognise the pressures on the health budget, but this is an issue that cannot be ignored.
There is widespread public support to see improved services. Fair Treatment for the Women of Wales published a report this week which outlines a number of key recommendations for better miscarriage care in Wales.
Campaigner Jessica Evans’ petition calling for better miscarriage services, supported by Fair Treatment for the Women of Wales and several other organisations has reached more than 2,500 signatures.
Healthcare, both physical and mental, is a human right and the people of Wales should not have to ask the government to provide the most basic of services.
That is why I have written to the health secretary, Vaughan Gething, calling for immediate action to rectify a clear lack of provision for women who have suffered a miscarriage – and their partners – in Wales. Immediate actions can be taken to address short-term issues. However, in the longer term, we must establish accessible specialist miscarriage units across Wales.
This is vital to ensure that women, and their partners, affected by miscarriage have access to the physical and mental healthcare they need and deserve.