Woman who waited nine days for miscarriage assessment 'fighting against system'

A woman who received an apology from John Swinney over failures in her maternity care has said she was "fighting a system that wasn't working for me at all".

Elizabeth Crammond suffered a third miscarriage in three years in March. After experiencing pain and bleeding, she waited nine days to see NHS medics, who confirmed she had miscarried.

Crammond spoke at Holyrood, where she presented a petition signed by more than 900 people, calling for improvements to maternity care.

The first minister said he was "terribly sorry" when Crammond's case was raised in parliament in September.

After first experiencing symptoms, Ms Crammond said she tried to contact the early pregnancy unit in Kirkcaldy, Fife, 60 times but was not seen.

She decided to pay for private scans and was not seen by the NHS until nine days later.

Crammond, who lives in Kinross, told BBC Scotland News she was "fighting a system that wasn't working for me at all".

She said she had to "fight constantly with the GPs, midwives, early pregnancy units"

"I was high risk," she said. "And nobody would believe me until it was too late."

"I phoned literally morning, noon and night - even in attendance to the hospital, where I was actually told to leave the hospital when I was bleeding extensively. And nobody supported me even then."

She added: "I was just left to bleed, suffering pain, and almost suffering in silence, in some respect."

Her petition calls for ministers to set a duty of care on GPs to provide transitioning care for gynaecology, fertility and maternity care and support.

It also calls for a "reactive auditing process" to minimise delays and improve safety.

Crammond was at Holyrood to see the parliament's public petitions committee discuss her petition, which has received 923 signatures.

The committee, made up of cross-party MSPs, can decide to progress the matter in several ways, including recommending actions from the government or asking for a debate about the petition in the chamber.

Responding to the petition in September, the government said it did not believe the introduction of a specific duty for GPs was necessary, as they already have a responsibility to provide care to any patient in need, including those with maternity-related concerns.

The government pointed to its delivery framework for miscarriage care, launched last year, which aims to standardise miscarriage care and early pregnancy services across Scotland.

Speaking in parliament on Thursday, Public Health Minister Maree Todd said: "The loss of a baby has a devastating impact on women, their partners and families, and I would like to express my deepest sympathies to Elizabeth and her family.

"It is vital that women and their families receive the compassionate care they need, and that bereaved families have the opportunity to have their voices heard and can contribute meaningfully to the maternity reform process.

"The health secretary and I have offered to meet Ms Crammond to hear more about her experience and look forward to hearing from her."

At First Minister's Questions in September, Labour's Jackie Baillie raised Crammond's case alongside that of Katie Lyon, who also suffered a miscarriage after failures in NHS care.

MSPs heard that Lyon, who had miscarried three times previously, went to A&E on Christmas Eve last year. She had noticed spotting but was told the maternity service was full.

She had to wait for a scan, with doctors unable to find a heartbeat. However, the miscarriage was not confirmed until a week later.

In response, Swinney said: "We want to ensure that people get the best and most appropriate care.

"In the cases that Jackie Baillie has put to me today, that clearly has not happened.

"I apologise for that, and I will happily explore both those cases and will respond by providing as much information as I can to Elizabeth and Katie, to whom I express my sympathy and empathy for what they have experienced."