Miscarriage Care and Facilities in Scotland: Scoping Report NHS Grampian

Miscarriage management and information

The Lancet series on Miscarriage Matters stated that women should be presented with the available evidence about miscarriage management and be free to choose the management approach that suits their needs and preferences.

Choice of management option

All Health Boards in Scotland reported that they ensure that women can choose their preferred method of management of miscarriage. However, the geography in Scotland has implications for women in terms of how they can access their chosen approach.

Written information

All Health Boards in Scotland said that they provide written information about the treatment options for the management of miscarriage and what to expect in terms of miscarriage care. However, not all sites where women may present for miscarriage care said that they provide written information on treatment options or what to expect.

Aberdeen Maternity Hospital and Dr Gray’s Hospital in NHS Grampian stated that the same pathway of care for miscarriage management is used across all available departments in these sites. Women that present at Fraserburgh Hospital, Peterhead Community Hospital, Jubliee Hospital and Inverurie Health & Care Hub are referred to Aberdeen Maternity Hospital for miscarriage management.

Written information about what to expect next in terms of miscarriage care is not currently provided at Aberdeen Maternity Hospital, however this advice is provided verbally. This site is currently reviewing written miscarriage management leaflets and are likely to include information on what to expect, once input has been received from local Miscarriage Information Support Service (MISS) charity regarding what is important to women. Written information is not provided by Fraserburgh Hospital, Peterhead Community Hospital, Jubilee Hospital or Inverurie Health and Care Hub with patients directed to Aberdeen Maternity Hospital where they will then be provided with information verbally. Regarding services, including third party services, for mental health support following a loss, Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and Maternity Hospital signposts all women to MISS charity (Table 14).

Information about management options

As well as written information, Aberdeen Maternity Hospital strongly agreed and Dr. Gray’s Hospital agreed that what will happen during and after the chosen method of management of miscarriage and what happens in terms of follow-up after the management of miscarriage is fully explained to women. However, this was done once the pathway of care for the Health Board had been followed and the patient was at the site that would offer treatment for miscarriage (Table 15).