A WOMAN has told how she was left screaming in pain after a swab was left inside her body after childbirth.

The Blackburn mother, who has asked not to be named, is in talks with a solicitor after the incident at Burnley General Hospital's Women and Newborn Centre for East Lancashire.

The Lancashire Telegraph reported last month how East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust had recorded an incident of this kind and classed it as a ‘never event’ – something so serious it should never happen in the NHS.

Hospital bosses said procedures had been changed so staff now use purple wristbands to remind them to remove surgical items from patients’ bodies.

The woman described how an incident, after the birth of her first child last July, put her off having more children.

The trust has invited the woman to meet them to discuss her complaint.

She claimed the swab was left inside her for around two weeks and said: “I had to stay in hospital for another six days (after the birth) without my baby. I wasn’t able to hold her , I was in too much pain.

“I wasn’t able to bond with her properly because I was in too much pain the whole two weeks I was at home.”

The 25-year-old said she returned to the hospital after her mother advised her the level of pain and swelling was abnormal.

She said: “All of a sudden, I got a sharp pain (at the hospital) again and my sister had to call for help because I was screaming.

“It shouldn’t happen to anyone else because it’s a horrible experience. It was difficult for my family as well. I went to a solicitor to stop it from happening again. Everyone should be aware what’s going on.”

The woman said she was told by a member of hospital staff that the swab had prevented her from properly passing urine, causing kidney failure.

When the swab was removed, the woman expelled more than seven litres of trapped urine in four hours, she claimed.

She said she now had trouble sleeping and had suffered recurrent infections.

She said: “I don’t want to go back. It’s put me off having more children. My partner wants more children but I’ve said no for a while. I’m scared it could happen again, even though they say they have new procedures.”Vanessa Hollings, divisional general manager for family care at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “The care and safety of our patients is our overriding priority and we take any concerns regarding clinical care very seriously. If there are any issues our patient believes haven’t been clarified then I strongly advise her to contact us so we can discuss them.”