AN AYRSHIRE midwife who was banned from practising for six months after admitting to a catalogue of blunders has begun teaching at a Glasgow college.

Denise Hughes was suspended for six months from her role as a midwife at Ayrshire Maternity Unit in Crosshouse Hospital after admitting to a ‘lack of competence’.

Hughes, admitted leaving a patient who had just delivered a baby in a “chaotic” room on a bed covered with bloody sheets and instruments laying around.

Hughes also accepted that she lacked knowledge of medications and had failed to identify her patient was suffering from a postbirth haemorrhage, which could have led to “organ failure requiring extensive resuscitation.”

Hughes resigned before she could be officially suspended and now works as a lecturer at City of Glasgow College, although the Nursing and Midwifery Council confirmed the teaching post does not require her midwifery skills.

At the time of the blunders Hughes worked as a band 6 midwife within the Ayrshire Maternity Unit at Crosshouse Hospital.

The hearing heard that she had sought support from her manager because she was struggling with some clinical aspects of her role, including admitting that “she didn’t feel she could work alone whilst delivering a baby”.

The manager agreed to move Hughes to the maternity recovery department whilst she underwent some training and she stayed there until September 2015 when, once again, concerns regarding her practice were raised.

However Hughes alleged she was being bullied in that ward and a decision was made to move her back to the labour ward.

But almost immediately following her return, concerns were raised about Hughes’ punctuality, certain techniques and her ability to work alone.

Hughes requested to cut down her working hours but concerns about her practice from colleagues increased, including poor documentation and that she couldn’t use equipment required to administer intravenous fluids, that she panicked during an emergency and was unable to perform certain procedures.

At a hearing with the Nursing and Midwifery Council Hughes admitted that between February 26, 2016 and September 20, 2016, she failed to adequately complete the requirements of a supported practice plan.

Amongst the charges the Nursing and Midwifery Council established that Hughes had failed to identify that a was suffering from a postpartum haemorrhage, failed to provide care in a clean and hygienic environment, failed to correctly assemble a needle and syringe, failed to correctly administer medication and failed to correctly label medication.

She received a six month suspension order but told the hearing she had no plans to return to midwifery.