The state administrator in Troms and Finnmark has now concluded that the University Hospital of Northern Norway (UNN) in Tromsø did not meet the requirements of the Specialist Health Services Act regarding the obligation to provide sound health services after a child died in connection with a birth in July 2023. – It took too long from the time the patient was admitted with a pregnancy complication until the patient was delivered. The patient should not have been sent home, as there was a need for monitoring in hospital until the birth. That is according to county doctor Anne Grethe Olsen at the state administrator for news. Acting director at UNN, Einar Bugge, called a press conference on Thursday about the state administrator’s conclusion. He deeply regrets what has happened. – The conclusion from the state administrator is that UNN has not provided proper health care. It is a very serious matter which we take very seriously. We are terribly sorry for the tragic outcome of the case. And we will once again apologize as strongly and sincerely as we can to the family who lost their child. Bugge also says that the case has been a great stress for the employees at the maternity ward and others involved in UNN. – An incident like this is a great stress for our hard-working and highly skilled employees who have been involved in it. We have done a lot to look after them. This is serious. Ever since the incident happened, and after the situation in the maternity ward last summer with a lot of births in a short time, we have done quite a lot to improve our systems. We will also continue with this going forward, continues Bugge. news has previously covered the case, where little Erik died. The birth was postponed, Renate and Anders’ unborn child died in the womb at 41+4 weeks of pregnancy. The week when the tragedy occurred was the busiest at the University Hospital of Northern Norway all summer. Renate had pre-eclampsia, and was hospitalized the week before. But then on Tuesday it was medically considered correct and advisable to send her home to gather strength. She was actually supposed to return on Wednesday to start the birth, but then there were so many people giving birth that Renate was only in for a check-up. Erik was moving well, and the heart sounded fine. Then they were sent home again. When Renate and Anders returned on Thursday morning, little Erik’s heart had stopped. The death was routinely reported to the Norwegian Health Authority and the police. It was decided that the State Administrator in Troms and Finnmark should investigate the case. The University Hospital of Northern Norway has previously investigated the incident internally. They were unable to determine what the cause was, and did not rule out the possibility that they may have done something wrong. Chaos week After the “chaos week” last summer, there was much discussion about the maternity services in the north. At UNN, there are only four maternity wards, but in this whole week, 39 children were born. iTromsø has spoken to mothers who said they were lying in break rooms, examination rooms and in the TV room. UNN has said that they had good plans for staffing, but that unforeseen absences and sick leave caused employees to run away. They had no one else to call. The midwives who were at work told VG that they did the best they could, but that there were not enough people at work. They describe this week as “unsustainable”. Renate and Anders touched the whole of Norway when Renate appeared on live TV to ask Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Conservative Party leader Erna Solberg what they would do to ensure the care of women giving birth. Several measures have been introduced – We are now continuing the work started to improve the service in the maternity ward to ensure that a similar incident will not happen again, says Einar Bugge. Einar Bugge briefed about the matter at UNN on Thursday. Photo: Tove Jensen / news Since the incident last year, the maternity department has actively worked to reduce risk and prevent something similar from happening again. Here are some implemented measures: Six new midwives have completed their training and are in work. In addition, all midwife positions are filled. The basic staffing is well planned. Variation in absence and activity is assessed from shift to shift with regard to staffing needs. A plan has been made for acutely high activity for the summer of 2024. A new on-call room where all birthing rooms and laborers can be monitored at the same time, and an additional birthing room is being completed. The equipment park has been upgraded so that the working day for personnel is easier. It also provides better logistics. Clear plans have been made for the use of areas and equipment in case of unusually high activity, and the staff have trained on scenarios with many births at the same time. More robust duty schedules and a three-part holiday process, which means that more permanent personnel and managers are present throughout the summer. Published 18.07.2024, at 10.31 Updated 18.07.2024, at 13.16
ttn-69
UNN violated requirements to provide proper health care when children died during childbirth in 2023 – news Troms and Finnmark
