Miss A’s complaint related to the care and treatment that she received during her admission to Prince Charles Hospital in April 2021. Specifically, Miss A complained that she was inappropriately discharged on 22 April as she was not properly examined, such as with a speculum or an ultrasound, following the medical management of her miscarriage.
The Ombudsman concluded that it was reasonable for Miss A to have been discharged home on 22April and that it was not a failing that further examination or investigations were not undertaken. This was because, in the absence of worsening bleeding and pain during the course of 22 April, further investigation such as an ultrasound was not required by the relevant national and Health Board guidance. The Ombudsman found that Miss A’s subsequent attendance at the Emergency Department of another hospital on 25 April due to increased pain and bleeding caused by retained pregnancy tissue was, unfortunately, a known complication of the medical management of miscarriage. As a result, the Ombudsman did not uphold the complaint.