Decision Report 201401161

Summary

Mrs C complained about the pregnancy care she received from Raigmore Hospital. She said that the hospital failed to perform basic medical tests and that there was an inappropriate evaluation of her health which resulted in her pregnancy loss. Mrs C had a past history of thyroid problems and she complained that the management of this problem had been unreasonable. Mrs C also complained that no examination was carried out after her pregnancy loss to make sure everything was all right.

We took independent advice from a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist. Our investigation found that overall the care and treatment given to Mrs C was reasonable, including the care and treatment Mrs C received when she attended the hospital with bleeding. The advice we received was that the hospital had also reasonably managed Mrs C's thyroid levels and there was no evidence that the loss of her pregnancy was caused by her thyroid condition or its treatment. We were also satisfied that, as Mrs C's pregnancy loss had occurred abroad, the hospital had not been aware of the situation until they contacted Mrs C when she missed a number of appointments. When responding to Mrs C's complaint, the board offered a further appointment to discuss what further investigations were appropriate at that time. In light of our findings, we did not uphold Mrs C’s complaint.