A BARROW midwife broke down in tears as she heard evidence that her poor standards of practice had put a woman and her baby at risk.

Catherine McCullough admitted a series of failings in care as she treated the woman at Furness General Hospital in Barrow during an overnight shift in September 2013, her first day back at work since having some time off. 

Earlier this year the hospital was denounced in a report as having a "lethal mix" of failings at almost every level following an investigation into the deaths of 11 babies and one mother there between January 2004 and September 2013. 

A Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) hearing was told today Mrs McCullough was assigned to care for an expectant mother who was admitted to the hospital's ante-natal ward on September 8 2013. 

The woman, named only as Patient O, was to be induced as she was having a large baby, her first child. 

But Mrs McCullough, a vastly experienced midwife, committed a catalogue of errors when she took over her care the following evening that put both mother and her baby in danger, the hearing was told. 

An investigation found that during the overnight shift she failed to recognise the deteriorating condition of the unborn baby, did not ask colleagues to review foetal heart rates, kept poor records of changes to the heart beat and omitted to note that the mother had been sick. 

She also failed to prepare properly for the delivery of the baby, did not promptly call for assistance and had not ensured a resuscitation machine was adequately ready. 

The baby was eventually born with the umbilical cord wrapped tightly around its neck and was unresponsive, though it had a heart beat. A paediatrician attempted resuscitation and the baby was intubated before being transferred to another hospital. 

Mrs McCullough, who qualified as a midwife in 1990, admitted a large number of the charges, including failing to recognise the unborn baby's falling heart rate, making inadequate notes about care and not ensuring suitable staff were present for the time of birth. But she denied others around record keeping. 

The hearing was told the errors occurred on her first day back on the labour ward after a period of time off work. An appraisal two months prior had identified that she wanted to improve her skills in neonatal care and on the labour ward. 

Amanda Hamilton, representing the NMC, said: "When she first came back to work she expressed some concerns about her time away from the labour ward and wanted supervision when she went back to the ward." 

Mrs McCullough broke down in tears as Sarah Anderson, a midwife supervisor at the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust which investigated the incident, told the hearing her lack of preparation, delay in calling for assistance and ignorance of risks had put the patient and baby in danger. 

Mrs Anderson said: "Catherine explained during her interview that if she was in the same position again she would ensure a registrar or paediatrician were available at the time of delivery." 

She added: "Catherine acknowledged that she did not practise to the standard of a midwife on September 9 and September 10." 

The hearing continues and is expected to last until December 4.