Leicester, UK – 18th March, 2019: A woman who had to have a fallopian tube removed following a three-day delay to essential surgery has received an apology from the NHS Trust responsible.
Jamie Hockey, of Aylestone, and her partner Luke, 34, discovered she was pregnant with her second child in March 2017.
A month later, she had suffered several days of pain and bleeding and went to her GP, who referred her to the Leicester Royal Infirmary.
A number of tests were done and in April 2017 the 30-year old was diagnosed as having an ectopic pregnancy, where a baby begins developing outside the uterus, usually inside the fallopian tube.
In ectopic pregnancies, the foetus cannot be saved.
She was told she didn't require surgery for the condition and could have non-surgical treatment, so was discharged from hospital.
Three days later however, she was readmitted to hospital with severe pain in her right side and was then told that she should have had surgery and she should not have been discharged.
By the time she had surgery, her right fallopian tube had ruptured and she lost an estimated five pints of blood while she was operated on fix the condition and to remove the tube.
Jamie decided to take legal action against University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, with solicitors Irwin Mitchell.
The trust admitted liability.
They admitted to several failings in Jamie's care, including that keyhole surgery should have been done three days earlier than it was to deal with the ectopic pregnancy.
The trust admitted that if this had been done, the fallopian tube would have been intact - adding it is "deeply sorry" for the failings.
Jamie said: "Me and Luke were over the moon to be told that we were expecting another child, so the news of the ectopic pregnancy was incredibly hard to take.
"I placed great faith in the doctors who treated me and hoped I would be receiving care that would help me get through the ordeal in the best possible way.
"However, at no time did I feel that everything was explained to me properly. My head was in a spin with everything that was going on.
"Had the various options being fully explained I would have agreed to have surgery at the earliest opportunity.
"If this would have happened I feel it would have prevented the added pain I have had to go through."
Jamie needed a lot of time off work following her surgery, as well as extra support in caring for her daughter Indi.
She became pregnant again in July 2017 and needed an investigative procedure to ensure there were no more problems caused by her previous ordeal.
She gave birth to a healthy baby girl, named Bobbi, on March 29 2018.
Jamie said: "When we found out I was expecting again we were so nervous because of what had happened previously.
"It was so difficult not to feel something would go wrong so it was such a relief when Bobbi was born."
She said: "While nothing will change what has happened to me, I am pleased that the NHS Trust has apologised for the problems and also admitted that things should have been handled differently.
"I also hope that this will mean that no other expectant mothers have to go through the pain that I faced in the future – this should not happen again."
Jenna Harris, the specialist medical negligence lawyer at Irwin Mitchell, said: "Jamie has faced a truly heart-breaking series of events, as she not only endured the devastation of losing a child but also suffered incredibly traumatic and avoidable complications afterwards.
"The care she received raised several questions and it is welcome to see the Trust in this case accept that it could have provided better support and also apologise regarding the issues.
"We are hopeful that this is a sign that lessons will be learned from Jamie's experiences and that no one else will face the issues that she has in the future."
Source: https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/local-news/woman-suffered-ruptured-fallopian-tube-2650338