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Call to ban ‘bully’ midwife at Stoke Mandeville Hospital is rejected
THE traumatised parents of a stillborn baby have said they were ‘bullied’ by a Stoke Mandeville Hospital midwife.
On Monday, Diane Gingell, 62, was given a three year caution for her treatment of Benjamin and Rachael Bird.
The Nursing and Midwifery Council heard Gingell had abandoned the couple for up to 25 minutes, and made them feel like an inconvenience.
Gingell failed to perform full checks on the baby’s progress and left the couple, from Tring, at home while she collected pethidine from hospital.
She also failed to tell the parents their child’s heart rate was dropping before calling an ambulance.
The midwife then chatted about the weather to a paramedic without checking on Mrs Bird during the journey to Stoke Mandeville Hospital.
Following the birth of the stillborn baby girl on July 18, 2009, the midwife told Mr Bird she had returned to their home, cleared up all the home birth equipment and checked on their dog.
But the panel heard Gingell had left the house covered in soiled towels and sheets.
The NMC panel decided to issue a three year caution after ruling Gingell’s ‘acts or omissions were not held to have adversely affected that outcome.’
Giving evidence Mr Bird told the panel that they had opted for a home birth because it would be relaxed.
He said: “Rachael and I were told we could have the TV on in the background and it would feel relaxed.
“However, when it came to it, it felt very sterile, and we felt like we were an inconvenience to Ms Gingell.
“She was huffing and puffing as she was taking notes, and just acting like she did not want to be there.”
Mr Bird said the couple did not want to speak to his parents until after the birth, but Gingell ‘bullied’ him into calling them.
He told the panel the midwife had snapped at them, shouting at his wife when she got out of the bath and complained of being cold.
Gingell then called an ambulance and told the couple it was just as a precaution.
Gingell did not attend the hearing but was found guilty of a series of charges including failing to perform full checks on the baby’s progress and leaving Mrs Bird without the care of another midwife or health professional while she collected pethidine from hospital.
She also failed to tell the parents their child’s heart rate was dropping before calling an ambulance.
Gingell was also found to have retrospectively added notes to say she had performed an important procedure before going to hospital, which she had not.
She was further cleared of failing to perform other vital checks on mother and baby and failing to hand over her notes at the hospital. But a call for a striking off order was rejected.
Panel chairman Jacki Pearce said: “With the benefit of hindsight there were signs, which should have raised more and earlier concerns.”
She added that Gingell’s actions did not affect the baby’s death.
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Weather for Aylesbury
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 18 mph
Wind direction: East
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Temperature: 11 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
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