- Rebecca Matovu failed to help Sareena Ali, 27, at Queen’s Hospital, Romford
- This was despite desperate pleas from Ms Ali’s family, as she was ‘in agony’
- Ms Matovu ignored three calls from Ms Ali’s panic stricken husband
- Then went home instead of helping with resuscitation efforts
- Ms Ali needed emergency Caesarean section, but baby died short time laterÂ
- She died five days later from ruptured womb and massive organ failure
- Coroner declared hospital staff had contributed to death through neglect
- Ms Matovu has now been struck off by the Nursing and Midwifery Council
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Sareena Ali (pictured) and her baby died after poor care at Queen’s Hospital, Essex. The midwife who failed to care for her – Rebecca Matovu – has now been struck off by the Nursing and Midwifery CouncilÂ
A senior midwife who went home instead of helping a heavily pregnant woman and her unborn child – who both later died – has been struck off.Â
Rebecca Matovu failed to help Sareena Ali, 27, despite desperate pleas from her family that she was in agony at Queen’s Hospital in Romford, Essex.
Ms Matovu ignored three calls from Ms Ali’s panic stricken husband and brother, even refusing to help when the family resorted to banging on the nursing station doors.
When she realised Mrs Ali was cold and unresponsive, Ms Matovu went home instead of helping with resuscitation efforts as her shift had ended, the Nursing and Midwifery Council hearing heard.
Ms Ali had to have an emergency Caesarean section, but the baby died shortly after being born.
The mother was left in intensive care on a life support machine, but died from a ruptured womb and massive organ failure five days later.
At the inquest in 2011, coroner Chinyere Inyama found that staff at the hospital’s maternity unit, one of the largest in the UK, had contributed to the death through neglect.
Ms Matovu has now been struck off after the NMC hearing for failing to help the ‘utterly dependent’ Mrs Ali.
Clive Powell, chairing the NMC panel, said: ‘By ignoring the pleas for help that were made by the patient’s husband, Ms Matovu failed to listen to the people in her care and this is especially serious given that she was acting as midwife in charge.
‘This demonstrated a failure to act kindly and considerately.
‘Further, it should have been abundantly clear to Ms Matovu that the actions of her team were placing the patient at risk and yet she took no action.
‘Moreover, Ms Matovu is an experienced midwife who should have been able to recognise the signs that a serious situation was unfolding before her.
‘It is agreed that Ms Matovu should have recognised that an emergency situation had arisen given that she was personally asked to call the crash team.
‘As a midwife in charge, even if she had formally ended her shift, it was imperative that Ms Matovu assisted her colleagues and sought to find out whether her skills were required.’
Mrs Ali, a sales assistant at Harrods, was induced on January 23 2011Â because she was overdue at 40 weeks.
She arrived with her husband, mortgage consultant Usman Javed, at the hospital at 10am, but by 7.05pm she was in obvious difficulties.
Between then and 9.40pm, Mr Javed went to the nurses’ station for help three times but was ignored by Ms Matovu and her colleagues.
He told the inquest: ‘The midwife just laughed and said that once she is in labour the pains are just going to get worse.Â
‘One of them told me “have you not been reading books? What have you been doing for the last nine months?â€. But I told them I am not a doctor, I don’t know what to expect.’Â
Ms Matovu left the ward before the crash team arrived, and failed to provide any assistance to colleagues about Mrs Ali’s condition.
At
the inquest into Ms Ali’s death in 2011, coroner Chinyere Inyama found
that staff at the Queen’s Hospital maternity unit, one of the largest
in the UK, had contributed to the death through neglect
Resuscitation was attempted on Mrs Ali, who had suffered a miscarriage before, started at 10.05pm, and the baby was delivered soon afterwards but showed no signs of life.
A 2011 investigation into the hospital after a string of mother and baby deaths, including Mrs Ali, exposed a ‘culture of abuse’ among midwives.
Ms Matovu is the second midwife to be hauled in front of the NMC over the death of Mrs Ali and her baby.
She claimed she had handed over care of her patients when she left the hospital, and said she was not the ‘midwife in charge’ at that time.
However the NMC panel found she had failed to respond to reasonable requests of assistance from Mrs Ali’s family.
She was also found to have failed to provide adequate assistance to colleagues and to have left the ward before the crash team arrived.
She has now been struck off the professional register, and must wait at least five years before she can seek restoration.Â
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