Mum's heartache after hospital 'remains' row.

A torquay mother claims she has been left 'heartbroken' after being shown the 'remains' of her miscarried child at torbat hospital.

Emily F................. , 23 , of s.......... ................. R.......... (sorry didnt write these as it contains most of my address) , was 8 weeks pregnant when she miscarried.

Emily and her partner said they were left crying when they saw what appeared to be a small white foetus in a test tube like bottle.

The allegation is curently being investigated by torbay hospital. which says 'is as yet not fully in accordance with the description of events relayed to us through the newspaper'.

Emily , mother to daughter Chloe , aged 2 , and step - daughter Kylie , aged 5 , had her pregnancy confirmed at torbay hospital in April.

She was in so much pain that her partner , Barry ...... , 30 , rushed her to the hospital's accident and emergency department.

Emily said , " I got to the hospital at about 5.30pm but we still hadnt been seen by anyone after an hour. We had to go to the desk and say 'things arereally bad I really need to be examined now ' . I was having such bad pains in my stomach.

"A really nice nurse then took us through and put me in a room so i could have privacy. " They then took me to 'resus' . I got there and that was where it happened. I lost the baby."

Emily said there seemed to be a shift change in staff and a differant doctor treated her.

Emily claimed: " Afterwards she left what was like a urine sample bottle, like a test tube , on the bedside table. She told me i'd had a miscarriage and handed me the bottle saying ' theres your remains ' .

I knew my partner was coming so i wrapped it in tissue - I knew it would upset him. But when he got there the doctor took it from me and unwrapped it and gave it to him. He just started crying."

The hospital have since told Emily a foetus , normally 2.5 centimetres long at 8 weeks, could not be seen in the bottle.

But Emily said: My partner also knows what he saw.

" I was so shocked and so sad. I havent been able to sleep or eat because i just keep thinking about what i saw. I just feel heartbroken."

Complain.

Partner Barry claimed: " They had told me Emily would be in hospital overnight so i left to get her a change of clothes. When i got back Emily was clutching a bottle and was hysterical. The doctor or nurse then unwrapped it , without asking me if i wanted to see it , and showed me 'the remains ' ."

Emily said she had tried to complain through the hospitals Patient Advice Liason Services and was told to speak to the matron of gynaecology.

Emily said: " I did but i dont feel like it's being taken seriously. They told me i coulden't make a complaint because what happened hadn't been written in the doctors notes."

A spokeswoman at Torbay Hospital said: " The matron rang the patient, at the request of our patient advice and liason service , to explain that she was investigating what had happened and firs needed to speak to the doctor when they were next on shift.

"She explained this was because , until she had been able to do that, she only had the notes to go on. We have tried to keep the patient updated with the investigation now the doctor has been spoken to.

" The patient has had a clinical follow - up with the doctor that attended to her in A&E . She is also being offered the opportunity to meet with a senior clinician to go through her concernsin detail as - from its investigations so far- what the hospital understands took place is as yet not fully in accordance with the description of events relayed to us through the newspaper.

" If a woman attends A&E  and appears to be miscarrying , we would normally , if there was time , try to transfer her from A&*E to a gynaecology ward.

" A doctor would attend and would collect and retain what the woman passes during the miscarriage. This is safely kept - not in a test tube but in a special closed , non-see-through container.

" Later , the parents ' wishes would be discussed. A record would be made , and if there is a foetus , this would be photographed so that the parents if they wished, could have a photo to keep. Sadly , this is not possible where the miscarriage takes place in very early pregnancy , before a recognisable foetus has begun to form ."

A patient advice and liason service officer has since written to Emily with an explanation , offering a meeting to discuss anything further .

I will blog my views on this later .