Midwives cautioned over baby's death at Telford hospital
Two midwives found guilty of misconduct following the death of a baby at a scandal-hit maternity unit have escaped suspension.
Katie Anson's son Kye Hall died at the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford, on August 19, 2015, four days after he was born.
Midwives Kerry Davies, Laura Jones, and Hayley Lacey faced claims they did not properly monitor Kye's birth or adequately hand over his care between them.
The three midwives accepted they each failed at some point during Kye's care at a Nursing and Midwifery Council tribunal.
They admitted they each failed to check his foetal heart rate at different times prior to his transfer from the Midwife Led Unit into the Consultant Led Unit at the hospital.
The panel found that only Jones and Lacey's fitness to practice was impaired by reason of misconduct.
Jones and Lacey were charged with three breaches each, which the panel said amounted to an impaired fitness to practice solely under the public interest.
Today the panel handed down caution orders to both women, meaning their NMC records will show the misconduct charge for a set period of time.
Panel chair Phillip Sayce told both women: "You breached fundamental tenets of the midwifery profession and your actions were of such a nature as to bring the profession into disrepute."
Disproportionate
The fitness to practice committee ruled that suspending either midwife would have been 'disproportionate' as neither woman showed a lack of clinical knowledge or contributed to Kye's death.
It was found Jones failed to communicate properly with other midwives, resulting in a 30-minute gap in care, as well as failing to take the foetal heart rate on two occasions.
She was given a caution of three years.
Siobhan Caslin, representing the NMC, had called for Jones to be suspended.
Lacey was found to have failed to communicate properly with Jones as well as not filling out adequate handover notes.
She was given a caution for one year.
Mr Sayce said: "You made admissions from the outset and took responsibility for your shortcomings. A caution order is the least restrictive sanction we can impose that marks the need to protect the public interest.'
He then addressed Kye's family, saying: "I would like to extend my thanks to the family for their persistence and decorum through what must have been difficult proceedings.
"Change has been made in the local unit that makes it safer and I hope that brings you some comfort."
