THE midwife who worked as a hospital maternity risk manager while mothers and babies died has been struck off.

Jeanette Parkinson was banned from practising in the UK today after admitting she had conducted "inadequate" reviews into the deaths of two mothers and three babies at Barrow's Furness General Hospital.

Miss Parkinson's actions meant the relevant health authorities did not go on to launch proper investigations into the deaths.

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Those who died are believed to have included Walney baby Alex Davey Brady who was stillborn, Dalton newborn Joshua Titcombe, who died aged nine days old, and Ulverston mum Nittaya Hendrickson and her son Chester.

However, Miss Parkinson will not face a full disciplinary panel hearing over the tragedies following a recommendation by lawyers acting for the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

NMC chief executive Jackie Smith said: "It is clear that the conduct of Jeanette Parkinson fell well below the standards expected of a midwife therefore it is right that she has been struck off.

"The conclusion of this case brings to a close the fitness to practise cases relating to failings in midwifery care at Morecambe Bay.

"As I have said before, these cases have taken far too long to conclude and I would like to sincerely apologise again to the families affected."

Ms Smith added: "As an organisation we are reflecting on what can be done to make sure cases do not take so long to conclude in future."

Miss Parkinson, who was revealed to have received thousands of pounds of hospital funds she was not entitled to when she left the hospital in 2012, was responsible for completing root cause analyses of the deaths during 2008 and 2009.

But she failed to note that midwives had not properly monitored fetal heart rate in several cases, that a pregnant woman had not received a proper 32-week check up or that NICE guidance had not been followed on the correct procedure for dealing with premature rupture of the membranes.

James Titcombe, 39, said Miss Parkinson had been spared a full hearing in the self-interests of the NMC.

He added: "The Kirkup report highlighted the culture of cover-up and denial that was sadly rife at the maternity unit at FGH when mothers and babies were dying for avoidable reasons.

"Jeanette Parkinson was central to this, but when I raised concerns with the NMC in 2009 and repeatedly after, they did absolutely nothing. Parkinson retired in 2012 with a considerable payoff – the NMC striking her off now is utterly meaningless and serves no practical purpose."

Jeanette Parkinson is the seventh and final Morecambe Bay midwife to face an NMC disciplinary.

She is the third to be struck off the register alongside her former colleagues Marie Ratcliffe and Lindsey Biggs.

Dr Bill Kirkup’s Morecambe Bay Investigation Report in 2015 blasted the band of “musketeer midwives” who adopted a “one for all” approach to their work, were “impenetrable” to outsiders and “hostile to complaints”.

A review into the way the NMC handled the cases of the Morecambe Bay midwives will now be launched by the Professional Standards Authority – the body that oversees UK regulators.

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