Hospital to review ectopic pregnancy care

Sarah Alves has started a petition calling on the government to improve staff training about ectopic pregnancy

Following concerns raised by patients, Jersey General Hospital will review all areas involved in the care of women with possible ectopic pregnancies.

The response comes after a woman posted on social media, about how she felt "very let down" by staff and how they responded to her initial symptoms.

When other women also commented sharing their own experiences, it was brought to the attention of senior heath staff.

A spokesperson for the health department said: "In the light of the concerns raised we will review our current practice across all areas involved in the care of women with a possible ectopic pregnancy."

The initial social media post was written by Sarah Alves, who had a fallopian tube and part of her right ovary removed in surgery for her ectopic pregnancy.

She was between eight and nine weeks pregnant when she first went to accident and emergency (A&E) on 15 May with concerns for her baby.

She had never had an ectopic pregnancy before - which is when a fertilised egg implants itself outside the womb, usually in the fallopian tube.

Sarah Alves said she was told to go home by a doctor in A&E because her bleeding wasn't a cause for concern

Mrs Alves said she arrived at the emergency department with heavy bleeding and even though she was made a priority patient she was left sitting in a chair for more than 30 minutes.

An emergency doctor told her to go home after they had checked her sanitary pad, telling her the bleeding was not a cause for concern.

It was not until the following day that she was told she had lost her baby but doctors thought it was just a miscarriage.

Three days later, the ectopic pregnancy was discovered and she said she had a "horrible" surgery to remove parts of her reproductive system.

'Cried myself to sleep'

Mrs Alves also said the hospital did not provide her with enough mental health support.

"I'm very angry, I'm hurting but I've had to suffer in silence", she told the BBC.

She said she asked to see a mental health professional after her surgery but was told there was no-one available because it was a weekend.

"I cried and cried myself to sleep," she said.

She is still awaiting a hospital counselling session, as both previous appointments have been rescheduled, she said.

Sarah Alves posted her experience with Jersey Hospital on Facebook

Mrs Alves shared her experience on a local Facebook group and has started a petition asking the States to increase and improve training for A&E staff about ectopic pregnancy.

She said: "It's just about raising awareness... you put all your trust into the hospital and you expect them to deliver care to you.

"There needs to be change... let's hope that there is change."

'Worst experience'

One of the women who commented on Mrs Alves' Facebook post was Tabbie White.

Speaking to the BBC, Mrs White said she felt like she was "shouting for help" in Jersey's A&E department when she had an ectopic pregnancy in 2023.

She said she went to the department several times, but was only seen by a doctor when she made a fuss.

"It was the worst experience of my life," Mrs White said.

She also needed surgery and lost her baby, and said there was a lack of follow-up care.

She said she had now lost trust in the hospital as "they don't seem to care".

Roslyn Bullen-Bell is one of the hospital staff reviewing the current ectopic pregnancy guidelines

In a health scrutiny meeting at the beginning of June, senior health staff were asked about Mrs Alves' social media post and what they were doing to improve the experiences of women with ectopic pregnancies.

The chief officer of health Chris Bown said the department was "aware" of the post and the issues it raised were being "investigated".

'Best patient care'

Roslyn Bullen-Bell, director of midwifery and nursing, said the hospital would be reviewing all its current guidelines and practices on possible ectopic pregnancies.

She said: "We aim to provide the very best patient care in all cases.

"While we cannot speak about individual cases, we appreciate that when someone is diagnosed and treated for an ectopic pregnancy it can be a very distressing time.

"We'd like to reassure our islanders that we have guidelines in place."

She said the hospital will look at any areas it needs to improve on, across all departments involved in the care of women with ectopic pregnancies - including A&E.

“We would recommend that any woman who has concerns in early pregnancy to seek advice from their GP in the first instance. If there is significant pain or bleeding, or if these symptoms are associated with feeling unwell, they should attend the Emergency Department directly."

Ms Bullen-Bell also said the hospital "needs" to look at its mental health support for women who experience ectopic pregnancies.

"Patient experience and their wellbeing is really at the heart of what we do," she said.