An urgent review has been launched into Ipswich Hospital’s handling of a woman suffering serious health concerns after a miscarriage.
Twelve weeks after 24-year-old Nikkole Southwell fell pregnant through IVF, she knew something was wrong.
An ambulance took her to Ipswich Hospital but on arrival she said she was left waiting for hours.
She said she had arrived at the hospital at 9am and was seen by a doctor between 5pm and 7pm that night.
During her stay, she said her foetus was placed in a transparent biohazard bag and was left sitting in front of her for hours.
“I just didn’t really know what to do, sitting in a purple gown with a biohazard bag,” she said.
The couple said they were further traumatised by conditions at the hospital and claimed staff used her partner’s phone light to inspect her cervix.
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“I know deep down I will never recover from this,” she said.
“With everything that I went through, I can’t close my eyes without witnessing some part of this.”
The West Moreton Health Service is now conducting a clinical review after Southwell brought her story to the media.
“It is taken extremely seriously,” West Moreton chief executive Hannah Bloch said.
“Compassionate care is something that we strive to achieve and to hear on this occasion that that has not been Ms Southwell’s experience is very upsetting for us.”
The state government and health department have launched a review into the incident.
“I have asked Queensland Health to urgently work together with frontline staff to put together practice guidelines and models of care for women who miscarry,” Health Minister Shannon Fentiman said.
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