Senior midwife linked to three baby deaths had the skills of a second year nurse and did not know how to read foetal heart monitor, tribunal hears

  • Dianne Jean MacRae was found guilty of professional misconduct on Thursday 
  • She is linked to deaths of three babies at a Victorian hospital several years ago 
  • Woman whose baby died has expressed anger at midwife only given reprimand 

By BRETT LACKEY FOR DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIA

Published: | Updated:

A senior midwife linked to three baby deaths had the skills of a second year nurse and did not know how to read a foetal heart monitor, a tribunal heard. 

Dianne Jean MacRae was found to have committed professional misconduct while she worked at Bacchus Marsh Hospital, by the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, on Thursday. 

A woman whose baby died while under the care of Ms MacRae expressed her anger at seeing the Ms MacRae only given a reprimand. 

A woman whose baby died while under the care of Ms MacRae expressed her anger at seeing the Ms MacRae only given a reprimand 

A woman whose baby died while under the care of Ms MacRae expressed her anger at seeing the Ms MacRae only given a reprimand 

'It made me feel so bad when they said "we know you have already punished yourself". What about us and what we have had to go through,' the woman who lost her baby told the Herald Sun.

'We were not high risk, they were not busy and there was a student midwife present who could read the CTG and told her,' she said.

The hearing was told that MacRae only had the skills of a second year nurse and could not operate a foetal heart monitor, which is required to safely deliver infants.

In October 2011 the first two babies' deaths occurred just two days apart because she failed to use the device properly to monitor their condition.

After the initial two incidents the hospital found that that MacRae needed further training – which she failed to do and in February 2013, a similar incident occurred.

MacRae's lawyer, Kelly McKay, said the hospital conditions were poor and contributed to a dysfunctional environment.

'When you have the work ethic that she had, it was just rolling up your sleeves and getting on with it and doing the best that you could,' Ms McKay said.

'And, of course, ultimately terrible mistakes resulted from not having the correct resources and not perhaps taking a step back and being as reflective as hindsight suggests practitioners should have been in the circumstances.'

VCAT responded by saying the allegations were matters of incompetence, not clinical working conditions. 

Former maternity unit associate manager, Dianne Jean MacRae, at Bacchus Marsh Hospital was found to have committed professional misconduct 

Former maternity unit associate manager, Dianne Jean MacRae, at Bacchus Marsh Hospital was found to have committed professional misconduct 

 

 

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