By Meg Kennedy<\/p>\n
Although the former midwife linked to the deaths of three babies at Bacchus Marsh Hospital will never practise again, the pain is still raw for the families affected.
\nThe Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) announced in a statement on Friday 19 October that registered midwife Dianne Macrae, who was employed as an Associate Nurse Unit Manager (ANUM) at Djerriwarrh Health Services, was found to have \u201cengaged in ten instances of professional misconduct under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law.\u201d
\nAt a recent tribunal hearing Ms Macrae admitted to all allegations put forward by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA), including an inadequate interpretation of a foetal cardiotocography (CTG), a failure to carry out a clinical assessment and care, and a failure to recognise and respond to an urgent situation.
\nThe tribunal reprimanded Ms Macrae and accepted an undertaking from her that she would never apply for registration as a midwife again.
\nA former patient who lost her baby at 41.3 weeks at Bacchus Marsh Hospital was present at the hearing and told The Moorabool News she felt the atmosphere \u201cwas very tense, because we didn\u2019t have a voice in that room\u201d.
\n\u201cWhat kicked me in the guts…the tribunal said to (McCrae)\u2026that they could see that \u2018you\u2019re not the same person and that you\u2019ve punished yourself, we don\u2019t need to punish you anymore\u2019 but it\u2019s like, you took my baby away,\u201d she said.
\n\u201cI\u2019ve got to live the rest of my life without my child\u2026but (she) can move on with (her) life now, and that hurt. That was the bit that really hurt,\u201d the woman tearfully said.
\nOn what she would say to Djerriwarrh Health Services, the woman said, \u201cit would be nice if they took into account what they were actually doing, because they knew.\u201d
\n\u201cThey need to start taking accountability, and each case is an individual case,\u201d she said.
\nAHPRA said the investigation \u201cis one of a large number\u201d regarding concerns about obstetric and midwifery care at the Djerriwarrh Health Services.
\nDjerriwarrh Health Services said in a statement to The Moorabool News \u201cthe organisation was not a party to a Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) hearing into the actions of a former practitioner at the hospital.\u201d
\n\u201cThe cases in question dated from 2011 to 2013 and involve terrible experiences for some families at Bacchus Marsh and Melton Regional Hospital. Every person now at Djerriwarrh is driven to ensure such a situation can never arise again,\u201d the statement read.
\nInvestigations into the care provided by practitioners at Bacchus Marsh between the time of October 2011 to February 2013 began in February 2016.
\nAPHRA said the reasons for the tribunal\u2019s decision will be published at a future date.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Meg Kennedy Although the former midwife linked to the deaths of three babies at Bacchus Marsh Hospital will never practise again, the pain is still raw for the families affected. The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) announced in a statement on Friday 19 October that registered midwife Dianne Macrae, who was employed as […]<\/p>\n