Two award-winning midwives, Hazel Williams and Lisa Land, have been permanently removed from the midwifery register following tragic incidents involving delayed emergency responses that contributed to the deaths of two newborns at the Aveta Birth Centre in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire.
Williams and Land, who held senior roles at the midwife-led center, were found to have delayed calling ambulances in two separate cases, later attempting to alter medical records to cover their actions.
These actions were deemed a serious breach of midwifery standards, according to a Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) hearing.
Tragic Cases of Delayed Emergency Response
The tribunal examined two tragic cases: the deaths of Jasper White in June 2019 and Margot Bowtell in May 2020.
Both babies experienced life-threatening complications shortly after birth.
However, the midwives, led by Williams, who managed the center, delayed calling ambulances and ultimately failed to provide essential emergency care.
In Jasper’s case, an ambulance was not called until 50 minutes after birth, and he did not arrive at the neonatal unit until 90 minutes after being born, by which point he was critically deprived of oxygen and later succumbed to his condition.
Dishonest Record-Keeping to Conceal Negligence
After Jasper’s passing, Williams directed Land to change medical records to downplay his critical condition, altering descriptions from “poor” to “good.”
Additional statistics were modified to give the impression that he was in better health than he truly was.
The panel concluded that this record tampering was a clear attempt to deceive and mislead anyone reviewing the documentation, categorizing it as a serious ethical violation.
Second Incident and Further Negligence
In the case of Margot Bowtell, born nearly a year later, her mother, Laura Bowtell, had requested an ambulance multiple times as complications arose during labor.
Williams delayed the call until just before Margot’s birth, and by that point, it was too late for timely intervention.
Margot required immediate resuscitation upon arrival at the hospital but ultimately passed away three days later due to oxygen deprivation.
Failure to Act on Key Health Indicators
Expert witnesses detailed that Williams and Land failed to respond to several warning signs in both cases, including Jasper’s difficulty breathing and Margot’s low fetal heart rate.
Williams further overlooked critical symptoms, such as bleeding and below-average temperature in Mrs. Bowtell, which should have prompted a swift transfer to an obstetric-led unit.
Panel’s Final Decision
The panel concluded that Williams and Land had “breached fundamental tenets” of midwifery care, underscoring that their negligence and dishonesty in record-keeping could diminish public trust in midwifery services.
Striking them off the register was seen as a necessary step to maintain the profession’s integrity and prevent similar incidents.
Implications for the Future
The NMC’s decision to remove Williams and Land underscores the importance of adherence to safety protocols and ethical standards in midwifery.
It serves as a reminder of the critical nature of swift emergency response and transparent record-keeping in healthcare settings to protect patient trust and wellbeing.
This article was published on TDPel Media. Thanks for reading!
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