Chapter 9: Guidelines for the Provision of Anaesthesia Services for an Obstetric Population 2025
All information given to women and their consent to undergo obstetric anaesthetic procedures should be clearly documented in their records.
All information given to women and their consent to undergo obstetric anaesthetic procedures should be clearly documented in their records.
If complaints are made about anaesthetic aspects of care, a consultant or other autonomously practising anaesthetist should review and assess the patient’s complaint, discussing her concerns and examining her where appropriate. This should be clearly documented alongside any subsequent action taken. Referral for further investigations may be required.
Complaints should be handled according to local policies.
The lead obstetric anaesthetist should be made aware of all complaints.
Pregnancy and childbirth remains a risky time for both mother and baby. In recent years, we have seen the maternal mortality rate plateau.7,8,9
However, the confidential review of every maternal death over the past seven decades continues to identify that substandard care, frequently caused by deficiencies in service provision, has led to avoidable...