Health Minister Shannon Fentiman vows decisive action on maternity crisis

New Health Minister Shannon Fentiman has apologised for the treatment of a woman who miscarried and called a crisis meeting on the state’s maternity services.

• Analysis: Is it third minister lucky?
• Editor’s view: Fentiman must act, not react

Health Minister Shannon Fentiman has been forced to admit Queensland has no best practice guidelines to care for women who miscarry, after the horrific case of a woman who was forced to sit with her dead baby in a bag in a hospital waiting room.

Both Ms Fentiman and the hospital have now apologised for the treatment of Fernvale’s Nikkole Southwell at Ipswich Hospital, after The Courier-Mail exposed her shocking ordeal on Tuesday.

Ms Fentiman admitted that no model of care policy existed for women who miscarried.

She has ordered her department urgently work with frontline staff to develop best-practice guidelines for women who miscarry, and called a maternity crisis meeting for next week where she will demand real solutions.

Ms Fentiman said Ms Southwell’s treatment was “absolutely heartbreaking” and “not good enough”.

“I have asked Queensland Health to urgently work with frontline staff to put together best practice guidelines and models of care for women who miscarry,” she said.

“Women right across Queensland deserve to be treated with compassion and a trauma-informed way when they present to our hospitals.

“To Nikki, my heartfelt condolences, but also my heartfelt apology – clearly, treatment that you received at the Ipswich Hospital is not compassionate and not trauma-informed.”

Ms Southwell, who lost her baby at about 12 weeks in April, was left wrapped in sheets and sitting in her own blood in the emergency department before hospital staff used her partner’s phone torch to look at her cervix and ­discharged her. She claimed a series of bungles with her follow-up care then ensued.

West Moreton Health chief executive Hannah Bloch said the hospital would have an internal review led by senior clinicians in the next 30 days.

Health Minister Shannon Fentiman. Picture: Nigel Hallett

“It is taken very seriously and we offer our apologies for the experience that Nikkole has had within our service,” she said.

Ms Southwell said she welcomed an apology but it was more important that no other women went through the same devastating experience.

“I would prefer their apology not be of words but of ­action,” she said.

Ms Fentiman has called a roundtable meeting with maternity stakeholders at Parliament House on June 16, just three months after Yvette D’Ath held the Women Health Workforce Forum with birthing services on the agenda.

Alecia Staines, of the Maternity Consumer Network, received her invitation on Tuesday night and said she hoped the meeting would be more productive than Ms D’Ath’s gathering.

“Ms Fentiman is the first health minister since Lawrence Springborg who has reached out and enthusiastically met with maternity consumers,” she said.

“The recent Women Health Workforce Forum didn’t give anyone a lot of confidence that we’d see results, despite the focus on maternity issues.

“D’Ath didn’t stay for long and didn’t seem very invested in the event. We’ve not seen any announcements for changes since that forum, so hopefully the forum next Friday is a real driver for change.”

Ms Staines said the new minister’s visit with women in Gladstone within 24 hours of being sworn in was welcome. The visit was something that Ms D’Ath did not manage.

“Fentiman has shown leadership in inviting her federal colleague, Ged Kearney, to the roundtable next week,” she said.

“She is known to have interest in the maternity field.

Nikkole Southwell had a horrific experience at Ipswich Hospital after miscarrying. Picture: David Clark

“There has always been issues where there is buck-passing between state and federal government, but it needs all sides ... to deal with this crisis.”

Ms Fentiman said she wanted all women to have access to high-quality care near home.

“Since becoming Health Minister I have met with mothers in regional Queensland who have been impacted by maternity services, along with our incredible frontline staff who are helping deliver babies across the state,” she said.

“The challenges being felt by maternity services across the state are not unique to Queensland, which is why it is crucial that the federal government is involved.

“I am open to considering all options that support more women being able to receive high-quality maternity care in their communities, which is why I am looking forward to hearing from stakeholders, frontline workers and consumers on how we can support them.”

Rural Doctors Association Queensland president Matt Masel said he was encouraged by the proactive engagement from Ms Fentiman, including receiving a personal call.

“We have had preliminary conversations and begun to outline our priorities moving forward,” he said. “I’m certain those discussions, our working relationship, as well as Minister Fentiman’s understanding of the challenges facing rural and remote doctors and patients, will deepen when she attends our annual conference in Cairns this week and interacts with doctors from across the state.”

Opposition health spokeswoman Ros Bates said meet-and-greets by Ms Fentiman were not going to fix the crisis: “It’s been eight years and four health ministers and the Palaszczuk Labor government has failed to restore maternity services. Steven Miles promised full maternity services would be up and running in Gladstone by mid-year.

“All Shannon Fentiman has done is announce yet another roundtable. This will be the fourth roundtable and they haven’t reinstated services.”

West Moreton Health chief executive Hannah Bloch addresses the media on Wednesday. Picture: David Clark