Investigation after swab left inside mum after birth

The incident has also prompted a patient safety investigation

An investigation is under way into how a medical swab designed to stop bleeding was left inside a patient who had given birth.

The incident at Blackpool Victoria Hospital has been identified as a "never event", meaning it was a preventable incident that should never have happened.

A hospital report said the incident happened in July when a woman was taken into theatre after suffering a haemorrhage shortly after giving birth.

The mother was sent home with the swab still in place when it should have been removed.

The report, which was presented to a meeting of the board of the Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said one of the items that was supposed to staunch the bleeding was removed.

But there was no documentation to show the other had also been taken out.

"The next day, the mother rang the maternity unit to inform that she had removed [it] and that she was not aware it was there.

"The mother was advised to bring the pack with her the following day to her appointment in the maternity day unit," the report said.

While an initial review of the incident found some immediate lessons could be learned, the report added: “A Patient Safety investigation is in progress and stakeholders including the [Care Quality Commission] and [Integrated Care Board] have been informed of the incident being a 'never event'."

Midwife shortfall

The board meeting also heard Blackpool’s maternity unit had a shortfall of 11 midwives.

But members were assured the unit was safe.

Part of the reason for the shortfall was the increasingly complex health problems suffered by expectant mothers.

A recent independent review had recommended a birth to midwife ratio of 21.3 births per midwife, whereas in 2022 the ratio was almost 23 births per midwife.

This was due to a 4.7% increase in expectant mothers being in the highest risk categories, with more than two-thirds being in the top two categories that need more complex care.

The report said: "The case mix is similar to many maternity units where there has been an increase in the acuity of mothers and babies during the past three to four years."