Mother left wondering if her baby could have been saved

Forrestfield couple say their 18-week-old foetus was disposed of by staff at the Swan District Hospital who had not consulted them.

The North Metropolitan Area Health Service says while the treatment of the patient was clinically appropriate, what happened to the foetus should have been discussed with the parents.

The Department expressed its condolences and says it has met the family to discuss their concerns.

Doctor Hames says the lack of consultation was inappropriate.

"A certain course of events were supposed to happen and it didn't and that was obviously distressing for the mother so I'm more than happy to apologise to her that that occurred," he said.

He says the case will be investigated.

The autopsy was unable to show any problems with the baby, but because the hospital had thrown out the placenta instead of sending it for testing, the reason why she miscarried remains unknown.

Mrs Right became pregnant again this year and went to the hospital again after having severe pains, but staff again refused to run tests or do an ultrasound.

“They just told me ‘no, go home and the baby will pass naturally’,” Mrs Right said.

“They were just saying: ‘if it’s going to happen, it’s going to happen’.

“I knew something was wrong. It’s just a mother instinct, so the next day I went straight to Joondalup Hospital and they were more than helpful.”

Tests at Joondalup Hospital revealed the baby had died.

Mrs Right said after the first incident, the hospital told her they would use her case to ensure that no other parents would go through the same ordeal, but it was clear after her second miscarriage nothing had changed.

A Swan hospital spokeswoman said: “We express our condolences to the family involved for their tragic loss and apologise for any distress caused by the events that followed early last year."

"Shortly after this occurred, senior hospital staff met with the family to discuss the concerns they had regarding the care they received and to apologise.

“Should the couple have outstanding concerns, we welcome the chance to meet with them again to ensure their concerns are resolved.

"We are unable to disclose any further information about the specifics in this case due to patient confidentiality."