Decision Report 201802902

Summary

Mr C complained about the antenatal care which his wife (Mrs A) received at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh. Mr C felt that Mrs A was not appropriately monitored by the community midwives, that they had been difficult to contact for advice when Mrs A started to suffer from swollen legs, and that she went on to develop pre-eclampsia (a pregnancy-related condition involving a combination of raised blood pressure and protein in the urine) which required an emergency hospital admission.

We took independent advice from a midwife and found that Mrs A's antenatal care was shared between the community midwives and her GP practice. Mrs A was appropriately monitored during the antenatal period although the nursing documentation could have been clearer. We also found that appropriate advice was given that Mrs A should take paracetamol for her swollen legs and to seek further advice if the symptoms did not improve. Appropriate contact details were contained in Mrs A's nursing records. There was also no indication from the nursing records that Mrs A had reported symptoms which were suggestive of pre-eclampsia. We did not uphold the complaint.