A man with terminal cancer and his wife claim they were refused a print-out of their unborn child – because they were 10 minutes late for their ultrasound appointment.
The couple say they struggled to find a parking space at Aberdeen Maternity Hospital, meaning they arrived late for their final scan.
The dad-to-be, who has stage four cancer, said they apologised but claims the sonographer’s behaviour was “unacceptable and unforgivable”.
He said the sonographer “mumbled” the baby’s measurements but would not properly show them what was on the screen because they were late.
At the end of the appointment, the couple asked for a print-out of one of the scan images because he “might not be around” for the birth. He said this was refused due to a lack of time.
The man, who has not been named online, shared their experience anonymously via the forum, Care Opinion, which has now been acknowledged by the maternity team.
Care Opinion is an online space where people can share their experiences of health or care services so improvements can be made.
NHS Grampian confirmed the family has been offered the opportunity to discuss their care further.
‘Unacceptable and unforgivable’
The dad-to-be wrote that his wife, who is 34 weeks pregnant, was “in tears” by the end of the appointment and that they told the sonographer their last scan had been “ruined”.
He wrote: “The staging of my cancer means I might not be around for my baby’s birth and definitely not for the majority of his life, so every scan and picture is very important to me.”
The response from the hospital on the forum shows they are “preparing to make a change” after receiving the comments.
A manager from the midwifery department posted a reply to the couple today apologising for how the sonographer acted.
A spokeswoman from NHS Grampian added: “We appreciate all feedback shared with us via Care Opinion and are sorry to hear of this experience.
“Teams reflect on all feedback shared and in this case the family has been offered the chance to discuss their care further. All formal complaints should be raised with our Feedback Service so these can be resolved quickly or properly investigated.”
The post ends with the man stating they went on to book a private appointment so they would be able to get a photo and the measurements.
He wrote: “We totally understand lateness causes disruption to everyone else, and were totally expecting to be told to wait as our appointment time was given to the next person.
“To be treated in such a disgusting way by someone who is in a job to help and support families, I find this totally unacceptable and unforgivable over being 10 minutes late.
“There was just no need for that level of reaction.”
- Are you part of the affected family? The Press and Journal would like to speak to you, e-mail livenews@pressandjournal.co.uk
Conversation