NHS Fife has been told to apologise after a woman who lost her baby was forced to return to an ante-natal clinic several times after mistakes were made with her tests.
The board has been asked to consider alternatives to putting grieving couples through the ordeal of attending clinics surrounded by expectant families.
Tragedy struck the Fife couple when a scan showed they had lost their baby but treatment both during and after her pregnancy forced the couple to lodge a complaint with the Scottish Ombudsman.
Te baby was delivered after a 20-week scan which did not detect a foetal heartbeat and Mrs C had blood taken and tests from the placenta.
She waited more than 10 weeks to see a doctor to discuss the results and after an inquiry, was told the bloods had been lost and she would have to return to the ante-natal clinic.
She was told she would need more blood tests but errors meant she had to return to the clinic. Each time she had to wait with pregnant couples and found this distressing.
Mr and Mrs C felt the miscarriage could have been avoided if she had received better treatment but the ombudsman found the medical guidance was reasonable.
However he found errors in blood sampling were unreasonable, having added “significant stress”.
NHS Fife has been asked to apologise to the couple and consider if alternative arrangements could be made for patients who have experienced stillbirth or miscarriage, particularly if procedures could be carried out someplace else.
