Trust did not remedy failings found in maternity care

What happened

Mrs C went to hospital after her waters had broken and she was in labour. She gave birth late in the evening of the same day. There was a delay of several hours before she was transferred to a bed early the next morning. Mrs C stayed in hospital and a paediatrician reviewed her the next day in the late afternoon. Mrs C was then sent home.

What we found

We partly upheld this complaint. When Mrs C went to the hospital, staff should have offered her a vaginal examination earlier than they did. There was a delay in staff giving Mrs C a bed after she had given birth and there was a delay in her discharge. In addition, the Trust had not properly considered whether a financial remedy was due.

We did not consider that the failings had contributed to Mrs C not being able to establish breast feeding. However, we decided that, taken as a whole, the failings we identified had caused Mrs C anxiety and distress.

Putting it right

The Trust had already taken action to address the failings we identified when staff left Mrs C in a chair after she had given birth. It had discussed the issue at staff meetings and had put up posters to raise awareness. We were satisfied that the action was adequate. Therefore, we focused on remedying the injustice to Mrs C. At our recommendation, the Trust refunded the car parking costs associated with the delayed discharge (£22) and paid £100 compensation for the distress caused.