A DISHONEST midwife who lied to cover up her failings after a baby died has been suspended from practising.
Penny Lavis, a nurse of more than 30 years, was described as "evasive and dishonest" by the Nursing and Midwifery Council, at the end of an eight-month hearing.
Panel chair Paula Burton told Sarah Christie-Brown, who represented Lavis: "Your failings in connection with the care you delivered to Ms A fell seriously short of the standards to be expected of a registered midwife.
"Though there is no evidence that your actions were causative of the unfortunate outcome of Ms A's labour, they did present a risk of patient harm.
"You have compounded your failures by dishonest record-keeping which the panel considers was undertaken in order to conceal those failings.
"All these matters are sufficiently serious to constitute misconduct."
On Sunday, June 12, 2011, the patient, who can only be identified as Ms A, was pregnant with her first child and was admitted to the midwife-led unit for low-risk cases at Broomfield Hospital at 12.15am, where Lavis cared for her.
Having seen she was in labour, she broke the woman's waters at around 2am. But Lavis of Chelmer Village wrongly noted that the woman asked for the procedure when she had not, and incorrectly recorded that she had explained its risks, the panel ruled.
At 3.45am, the woman's concerned husband noticed the umbilical cord was visible, a medical emergency, although Lavis claimed she spotted it first.
An emergency caesarean was performed 30 minutes later.
Despite being rushed to the Neonatal Unit at Addenbrooke's Hospital, the baby died three days later.
At the conclusion of the hearing on Thursday May 22, Lavis was found guilty of nine charges.
They also included leaving the woman on one or more occasions when in established labour, failing to start a pregnancy vital signs record on her admission and claiming to have changed her sanitary pad, when she did not.
Lavis herself admitted failing to monitor the fetal heart rate from 12.15am until 2am – nearly two hours after the woman's admission into the hospital.
But the panel said they could not prove seven other charges, such as failing to see that the patient was in established labour and one that she did not explain why she was left unattended on one or more occasions.
Her midwifery team leader for the past two years told the panel: "I have seen and heard Penny interacting with clients in a kind, compassionate and professional manner. I have never had to address any concerns about her nor have I any reason to doubt her honesty or integrity."
Lavis, who did not respond to an opportunity to comment from the Chronicle, was given a four-month suspension order, with restrictions on how she can practise for 18 months.
A Mid Essex Hospital Trust spokesman said: "Penny Lavis is appealing the outcome of the hearing and until such point as this appeal has been heard it would not be appropriate to comment, except to state the hospital will support and comply with the final outcome and recommendations to ensure high quality care is provided for those using our maternity services."
