Care and treatment in pregnancy and labour

What happened

Mrs Y said that her GP practice did not take on board her previous complaint about the local midwifery service she used during her first pregnancy, and did not refer her to a chosen midwife for the next pregnancy.

The midwife allocated by the Trust did not accommodate Mrs Y's requests for appointments, and referred her to the safeguarding team manager. The safeguarding team should be contacted if a member of staff has a concern about mother or baby's safety. The midwife did not have a good reason for doing this. Mrs Y also complained that her partner was forced to leave the labour ward when she was in labour, so a forthcoming home visit could take place.

What we found

The Practice properly referred Mrs Y for midwifery care. The Trust properly escalated concerns about safeguarding since midwives needed to conduct at least one home visit before the baby was born and they could not get access to Mrs Y's home. The Trust should have told Mrs Y what it had done.

The Trust's records did not fully support the Trust's explanation about what happened, and the Trust should not have asked Mrs Y's partner to leave the labour ward.

Putting it right

The Trust apologised for not telling Mrs Y that her case was being referred to the safeguarding team and explained what action it would take to make sure this could not happen again.

It also apologised for asking Mrs Y's partner to leave the labour ward and acknowledged the upset and distress this had caused.

The Trust paid Mrs Y £400 in recognition of the upset and distress caused to her during her labour.