Decision Report 201903205

Summary

C complained about the care and treatment provided to them by the board when they presented with a suspected ectopic pregnancy (a pregnancy in which the fetus develops outside the uterus, typically in a fallopian tube). C’s main concern was that they were not scanned on arrival at the hospital as it was outwith scanning hours. C ultimately had surgery to remove the ectopic pregnancy and a fallopian (tubes along which eggs travel from the ovaries to the uterus). C was concerned that had a scan occurred at an earlier point, it may have resulted in a better outcome.

We took independent advice from a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist (a doctor who specialises in the female reproductive system, pregnancy and childbirth). We found that C was triaged and transferred within a reasonable timescale on arrival to the hospital and that their management was appropriate in the context of being seen outwith the working hours of the early pregnancy assessment scanning service. We did not uphold C’s complaint.