A GRIEVING couple were stunned when they received a letter inviting them for a hospital pregnancy scan just weeks after their baby son’s death.
Sarah Paterson and Matthew Tonge, from Darwen, were devastated when, during their 20-week pregnancy scan, they were told their unborn son had no stomach, bladder or kidneys because he had ‘Potter’s Syndrome’.
Unable to survive outside the womb, Zachary died after his birth at just 21 weeks on Thursday, August 21.
But Sarah and Matthew couldn’t believe it when they received calls from the hospital asking why they had missed a gynaecology appointment and later received a letter inviting them for a scan.
Hospital bosses have apologised to the couple and said they had identified a gap in the administrative process which has now been remedied.
But Sarah, 34, and Matthew, 32, said they were preparing to lodge a complaint after being left in tears by the communication breakdown.
Sarah, a nursery nurse at Les Enfants, in Avondale Road, Darwen, said: “We had an appointment on September 2, but obviously we didn’t need to go.
“The day after my phone kept ringing and ringing and when I got out of the shower there was this voicemail.
“They were basically telling us off for missing our appointment.
“Then there was another message that they had now read our notes and realised we didn’t need the appointment.
“The way they worded it was awful and we were really upset.”
The mix-up went from bad to worse for the couple when last week they received a letter from the ultrasound department at Royal Blackburn Hospital inviting them to a third trimester obstetric scan on Monday, October 6.
Sarah said: “For it to happen once was bad enough, but for them to send that letter just rubbed salt into the wounds.
“I just opened it up and cried. It was so upsetting.
“I don’t need reminding that I’m not pregnant any more.”
Anita Fleming, head of midwifery at the East Lancashire Hospitals Trust, said: “We would like to apologise to Miss Paterson for those aspects of our service which fell short of our own high standards.
“We are also sorry for the distress caused by the trust continuing to send appointments after Miss Paterson’s pregnancy.
“After talking with Miss Paterson, we carried out a thorough investigation which identified a gap in our administrative processes.
“We want to assure Miss Paterson and other mothers that changes are being made to prevent this distressing situation happening in future.
“We offer our sincere condolences to Miss Paterson on the sad loss of her baby.”
Sarah, who said she had not talked to the hospital, has two other children, Nicole, 17, and Callum, seven, and Matthew, a production operative at Glisten Confection, has a 12-year-old son Daniel.
The couple have been raising money for charity Friends of Serenity in memory of Zachary.
To donate, visit www.gogetfunding.com/project/zachary-tonge-2