Hartlepool woman had ‘agonising’ hysteroscopy without consent

A woman who did not give informed consent for a hysteroscopy described the procedure as “excruciating.”

Dawn Lord, 51, believed she had attended an appointment at Hartlepool University Hospital to discuss future procedures when her doctor told her she needed a biopsy.

Ms Lord was not told what this would mean and, when that failed, she had a “traumatic” hysteroscopy – an examination using a small telescope-like device inserted into the cervix – without understanding what was happening.

North Tees NHS Hospital Trust apologized to Mrs Lord for failing to meet the “high standards of care” they sought to provide and paid her £400 compensation.

Ms Lord went to the hospital on May 19, 2023 to have her blood drawn and to decide what tests might be needed in the future.

“We were literally on our way out the door at the end of the meeting when [the doctor] blurted out, “I think we’d better do a biopsy today,” Mrs. Lord said.

“They told me to go to the locker room and I was just in shock, I didn’t understand what was happening,” she told BBC Radio Tees.

During the biopsy, which found a polyp on her cervix which was then removed without warning, Ms Lord repeatedly said it was “really painful” but was not offered pain relief, she said.

The doctor then told the 51-year-old woman that the best method would be to look through a small camera.

“I don't know what's going on and I just keep hearing the doctor say, 'I can't get this, I can't get this,'” Mrs. Lord said.

“I was told it would cause a brief cramp, but I was in terrible pain.”

She was given a local anaesthetic, but Mrs Lord says the pain has not gone away.

“The pain was on a scale of one to 10, beyond mortal pain,” she said.

She said over the weekend that she continued to bleed and was in severe pain, even passing out on the way to the bathroom at night.

Ms Lord complained to the hospital and received an apology in October, five months after her appointment.

A spokesman for Tees University Hospitals said the concerns raised by Ms Lord gave them the opportunity to “review the care provided, identify learning outcomes and make improvements”.

They said: “We have not met the high standard of care we strive to provide to our patients and have written to Mrs Lord to apologise.”

A spokesman for the Parliamentary Health Services Ombudsman (PHSO) said that “thanks to Ms Lord making the complaint, the Trust has recognized where changes are needed and has now improved its services.”

They said: “We were sorry to hear about Mrs Lord's experience at North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Trust.

“When Mrs Lord came to us, the trust had already apologized to her for its mistakes and agreed to improve the way it informed patients about procedures and obtained their consent before proceeding with them.”

Hysteroscopy is a procedure to examine the inside of the uterus by inserting a thin telescope-like device through the cervix.

It is called the “gold standard” for diagnosing gynecological diseases, including cancer.

It is used to investigate problems such as heavy periods and postmenopausal bleeding. Doctors may also perform a biopsy and remove fibroids or polyps.

A third of those having a hysteroscopy report a pain level of seven or higher out of 10, according to the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (RCOG).

It says patients should be offered local or general anesthesia for the procedure and their medical history, including injuries or difficulties with smears, should be taken into account.