Midwife guilty after baby death

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A midwife has been struck off the nursing register after being found guilty of professional misconduct following the death of a baby.

Deborah Purdue, from Iwerne Minster, Dorset, had been at a home birth which encountered complications in July 2005.

She was found not to have monitored the mother properly, a Nursing and Midwifery Council panel found.

The 47-year-old, who delivered two of author JK Rowling's children, was also given a suspension order.

The panel heard in the advanced stages of the labour, the baby was found to be in the breech position and suffering from foetal tachycardia, or increased heart rate.

'Failing to communicate'

The baby was later taken to hospital but died.

The three-person committee ruled that Mrs Purdue, an independent midwife, failed to adequately monitor the expectant mother, known as Patient A.

She was further found guilty of failing to properly assess the progress of the labour and failing to communicate effectively.

The midwife, who arrived at the patient's home near Poole, Dorset, in the early hours on 19 July, admitted not conducting a full internal examination until 0530 GMT.

She also admitted not taking steps to transfer the patient to an obstetrics unit until 0615 GMT.

In addition to the striking off order handed to Purdue, the misconduct committee imposed an 18-month interim suspension order.

Purdue travelled to Edinburgh in January 2005 for the birth of JK Rowling's daughter MacKenzie, having previously assisted at the birth of her son David in March 2003.