Midwife who poses 'risk to patient safety' struck off for incompetence

A midwife with over 30 years of experience has been struck off for lack of competence.

Diane Macdonald, who worked on the Isle of Lewis, faced an investigation by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) over incidents spanning from 2016 to 2021.

A report found that she had sent a high-risk patient home without asking for advice from a consultant and delivered a baby without calling for a second midwife.

Ms Macdonald, who first registered as a midwife in 1994, faced 13 charges, which were found proved by the NMC.

These included failing to recognise abnormal foetal heart monitoring, telling a colleague she was happy to use a monitoring device despite never having used it before and not knowing what to do when the placenta was not delivered immediately after the delivery of a baby.

The report also found she recorded incorrect dates of birth for patients on a blood transfusion form on multiple occasions, required prompting to wear PPE and failed to escalate changes to a baby’s heartbeat.

The midwife also cut an umbilical cord underwater and attempted to look for the patient’s womb level while they were sitting.

The report outlined that, while on a supported improvement plan in 2017, Ms Macdonald failed to refer a high-risk patient to a consultant prior to sending them home.

The next day, she delivered a baby without calling for a second midwife, as she was concerned the second midwife would have advised the patient to come out of the birthing pool against their wishes.

Ms Macdonald was originally suspended in September 2024 and no longer works for the health board.

The report stated that Ms Macdonald told the NMC that she is not returning to work for the NHS or anyone is and was waiting to remove herself from the register.

It was concluded that Ms Macdonald’s fitness to practice remained impaired due to a lack of competence and that she posed a risk to patient safety.

The report stated: “The panel had regard to the history of concerns regarding Miss Macdonald’s practice and noted that she had previously been subject to performance improvement and support plans during her employment.

“The panel considered that she had been provided with opportunities to address the identified deficiencies but had been unable to demonstrate the required improvement. There was no new evidence before the panel at this review to demonstrate that those deficiencies had subsequently been remedied.”

Ms Macdonald will be struck off from the register following the end of her suspension order on October 3.