Better Not Call This Midwife!

While working as a midwife for the hospital trust between June 2010 and July 2011, Miss Steel was found to have “not demonstrated the standard of knowledge, skills and abilities required to practise without supervision”.

Oh? What exactly do they mean?

Among the list of errors, in July 2010 she failed to realise a woman who had just given birth was bleeding excessively and left her unattended. In another incident, in the same month, she failed to immediately clamp and cut the umbilical cord following birth. Later that year she was found to have been unable to distinguish between the foetal heart rate and the mother’s heart rate. Miss Steel was also found to have kept poor notes, failed to carry out proper examinations, and recorded that a patient did not suffer from allergies without checking.

Ah. So, why has this taken so long?

Despite the long list of incidents, the midwife was not struck off and made subject to conditions of a practice order forcing her to inform prospective employers about her dealings with NMC. The order was made for two years before it was further extended and is due to expire in April.

The hearing heard Miss Steel, who registered as a midwife in 2009, had since struggled to find work as midwife due to the terms of the practice order, despite applying for numerous healthcare roles.

Well, thank god for that! Who on earth would employ her with that record?

Miss Steel declined to attend the hearing, despite emailing the NMC to say she “will not give up until I get a positive outcome form (sic) this situation”.

But she was warned if she did not engage with NMC she could be struck off.

Only 'could'..?