Hospitals apologise over Nelson woman’s ‘life threatening' ordeal

3:48pm Sunday 24th August 2008

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By Camilla Sutcliffe »

THE trust which runs East Lancashire’s hospitals has said sorry for mistakes that a pregnant woman believes could have killed her.

Serena Carr, 25, had to undergo emergency surgery and blood transfusions after doctors at Royal Blackburn Hospital and Burnley General Hospital failed to test for an ectopic pregnancy, and instead diagnosed that she had suffered a miscarriage.

She said she was offered no counselling after her ordeal, sank into depression and tried to take her own life.

In a five-page letter to Miss Carr and her partner Conrad Andrews, 26, hospitals chief executive Marie Burnham admitted that a blood test, which would have shown the pregnancy was ectopic, had not been carried out.

Councillors said this was “outrageous”, and strongly criticised East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust.

And Ruth Bender Atik, director of the Miscarriage Association, said the experience “should not have happened”.

Miss Carr, of Larch Street, Nelson, said she has now decided to take legal action, not for the money, but to “stop this happening to anyone else”.

Writing to Miss Carr, Miss Burnham, admitted tests that should have been carried out were not. She said: ”I am sorry that this did not occur during your treatment and care by this trust.

“I can assure you that lessons have been learnt from your experience and that appropriate actions are being taken.”

Miss Carr discovered that she was pregnant on April 15, but began to suffer cramps and bleeding just two days later.

She went to the Royal Blackburn Hospital on April 17, and to Burnley General Hospital on May 5, after the pain and bleeding got worse, but was sent home.

On May 7, she went to Burnley General Hospital suffering more bleeding. Doctors did a scan and said she had suffered a miscarriage.

They did not take a second blood sample but asked her to return in two weeks for a further scan.

Ten days later, she was in agonising pain in both her abdomen and shoulders - recognised signs of the condition - and was taken by ambulance to Royal Blackburn Hospital.

More scans and an internal laparoscopy procedure were performed before she was diagnosed with an ectopic pregnancy which had burst her fallopian tube.

She will still be able to have children.

She said: “I knew from the start that there was something wrong and that’s why I kept going back. But the doctors kept sending me home again so I’d started to think I was just being paranoid and wasting their time.

“I’d never been pregnant before so I couldn’t be sure what I was feeling wasn’t normal.

“I hadn’t been able to come to terms with losing my baby before I had to deal with nearly losing my life, so when I got home after the surgery it all hit me at once and I became very depressed. At the end of July, I took an overdose. I just wanted to end my life.

“The staff said they were sorry and they were retraining people, but that’s just words and it’s too late. We want to try for another baby, but I’m really frightened now.”

Burnley council leader Gordon Birtwistle said: “This is outrageous and further evidence that our health services seem to just carry on deteriorating.”

Blackburn with Darwen Council’s health scrutiny committee chairman Roy Davies added: “They should be going the extra mile for first-time pregnancies like this lady because they are the people these women are relying on.”

Ruth Bender Atik, of the Miscarriage Association, said: “Serena's frightening and life-threatening experience should not have happened.

“Ectopic pregnancy can be difficult to diagnose accurately, but Serena's continuing symptoms should have alerted staff earlier. Early diagnosis could not have saved her baby, but it could have prevented the additional trauma she and her partner endured.”

Lynn Wissett, from the trust said: “We would like to offer our sympathy to Ms Carr and her partner.

"Members of trust staff have investigated her concerns and are currently working with her to offer her support.”

Solicitor Kate Brook, from legal firm Keeble Hawson, said: “We are in the initial stages of our investigation.”