A Monmouth mother says she was left traumatised after doctors allegedly continued an intimate examination despite her repeatedly asking them to stop following the home birth of her son.
Charlotte Symes said she was transferred to the Grange University Hospital after giving birth at home on March 27, 2025, because she had suffered a serious perineal tear.
She has alleged that, while being assessed before surgery, she made clear that she would agree to an examination only if doctors explained each stage, told her where they intended to touch her and waited for her agreement before continuing.
Ms Symes said she was in a highly vulnerable state following the birth and had expected medical staff to respect those conditions.
She said: “I was very, very, very specific in my consent to this.
“I said, ‘You can do the examination. However, you need to tell me what you’re going to do before you do it. Do not progress into doing it until I’ve told you, yes, go.’
“I said, ‘Do not touch me until you’ve told me what you’re going to do, where you’re going to touch me, and only proceed when I say yes.’”
Ms Symes said two doctors carried out the examination and with no local anaesthetic.
She said: “They did not use anaesthetic, and they completely ignored my request.
“It felt like literally they were ripping my insides out. It was more painful than giving birth.
“I was screaming. I was crying. I was begging them to stop. The midwife didn’t do anything to tell them. They did not stop.”
Ms Symes said her husband, mother-in-law and a midwife were in the room during the examination.
She said she has since reported the incident to Gwent Police and has pursued complaints with Aneurin Bevan University Health Board.
A letter from a Parent-Infant Mental Health specialist, written after a meeting with Ms Symes in May 2025, recorded that she had asked clinicians to explain what they needed to do at each stage and wait before moving on.
The specialist wrote that Ms Symes had described feeling that her needs “were not acknowledged” by medical staff and that her account suggested she had felt the experience was “an assault and violation”. The letter stated that she found her post-birth clinical treatment physically traumatic and felt informed consent had not been facilitated as she would have expected.
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Aneurin Bevan University Health Board investigated Ms Symes’ complaint under its Putting Things Right process.
In a final response dated November 25, 2025, the Health Board said it was “saddened” to hear that Ms Symes’ request for regular communication at each stage was ignored and that the procedure was painful.
The response said: “Reflective discussions have been facilitated amongst both the obstetric team and midwife that was present during the procedure.”
It added that the midwife had said her intention would have been to advocate for Ms Symes but that she was disappointed this had not happened on the occasion.
The Health Board said doctors had expressed “sincere apologies” about how Ms Symes felt during the examination and was disappointed that she found it invasive, traumatic and avoidable.
It added: “In future, they will ensure that the procedure is fully communicated to a patient and that any requests for pain relief or to stop are adhered to.”
The matter was due to be shared at future governance meetings for learning, the Health Board said.
However, the Health Board’s response also said that, after completing its investigation, it had not identified a legal breach of duty of care.
Ms Symes disputed that conclusion. In a response to the Health Board, she said she repeatedly withdrew consent during the examination and that her husband, mother-in-law and the midwife all heard her ask the clinician to stop.
She wrote: “If a patient says ‘stop’ during an examination, consent is withdrawn immediately, and the clinician must stop.
“Failure to stop after a verbal withdrawal of consent constitutes a breach. It is not a matter of interpretation, training, intention, miscommunication, or ‘feeling distressed’.”
Ms Symes said the Health Board’s finding was contradictory given that it had acknowledged her requests for communication were not followed and that staff had been reminded requests to stop must be adhered to.
She said: “It’s been such a fight to get them to listen to what happened to me.”
Ms Symes added that the experience had left her fearful of seeing doctors.
She said: “I don’t want my friends, my family or myself to have to go through that again. I’m going to be afraid to see a doctor who isn’t going to respect when I say, ‘No, please don’t touch me, stop touching me.’
A spokesperson for Aneurin Bevan University Health Board said: “We are very sorry for the distress Ms Symes describes experiencing during the urgent clinical procedure following her birth, and we recognise the lasting impact this has had on her.
“We fully investigated the concerns raised and appropriate actions have been taken to address these concerns. Our findings have been shared openly with Ms Symes.
“Our staff always aim to give the very best care and treatment to patients, but we would like to offer our sincere apologies for the aspects of communication that did not meet the standards she expected and deserved on this occasion.”
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