Arabic version: مراجعة قسم الولادة في توومبا تترك الأمهات يبحثن عن إجابات

According to ABC News, a five-page summary of an assurance review into Toowoomba Hospital’s maternity unit says progress is underway but several longstanding problems remain unresolved. Queensland Health commissioned the review in February, focusing on the way complaints were handled after years of concerns about the service.

Ashleigh Hills, who participated in the review, said the traumatic birth of her son Austin affected her early experience of motherhood. She said she was sent home last year after doctors said she was not yet in labour, then spent the following 24 hours at home in labour before returning to hospital. Austin was born by emergency caesarean section after Ms Hills developed Bandl’s ring, a rare condition in which she said her uterus formed a constriction ring around him.

Ms Hills said Austin had a fractured skull that was not identified by several medical professionals and was confirmed by their GP when he was two weeks old. Her GP also found that Ms Hills had pre-eclampsia in the days after the birth, which she said had been missed by the emergency department. She said it took until Austin was seven months old to secure a meeting with the hospital after several unsuccessful attempts.

Darling Downs Health Service chief executive Annette Scott said the hospital was acting on 117 recommendations identified through the review process. She said the report found shortcomings in the complaints process and that it was unacceptable when complaints were not followed up. Ms Scott said the service had appointed a new director of obstetrics, improved its midwife vacancy rate, and strengthened training and education.

Health Minister Tim Nicholls said recommendations from reviews dating back to 2018 remained incomplete and that Darling Downs Health Service must deliver the latest recommendations. Shadow Health Minister Mark Bailey called for the full report to be released and for a Part 9 Investigation under the Hospital and Health Boards Act. Queensland Health said full reports are not routinely published because of legal, privacy, ethical and confidentiality obligations. Ms Hills said a broader investigation could help establish what was happening at the unit.