Midwife did module rather than check on pregnant mum, tribunal hears
Senior midwife chose to finish training module on computer rather than check on pregnant mother who then had miscarriage, tribunal hears
- Paul Johnson worked as a senior midwife at Hull Women and Children’s Hospital
- He faces 29 allegations of misconduct, including making sexualised comments
- Witnesses claimed Johnson frequently ‘delayed’ treatment for pregnant mothers
- He allegedly chose to do training rather than review expectant mother’s health
A male midwife was accused of completing ‘mandatory training’ on a computer rather than checking on a pregnant mother, who later had a miscarriage, a misconduct hearing has heard.
Paul Johnson worked for 18 years as a coordinator at Hull Women and Children’s Hospital, where he helped to deliver over 2,000 babies before his 18-month suspension.
Johnson is facing 29 allegations of misconduct that cover his time as a senior and central member of staff at the hospital.
Among those allegations, Johnson has been accused of making various sexualised comments towards staff during his tenure, including telling one colleague she had a ‘gorgeous figure’ and would add ‘some glamour and youth to the team’.
The midwife is also alleged to have ‘behaved in a bullying or intimidating manner’ towards a colleague when an investigation into his conduct began.
And on the final day of his hearing on Friday, witnesses claimed Johnson frequently ‘delayed’ treatment for expectant mothers to the labour ward he managed, which led to a ‘backlog’ of waiting patients.
Witnesses broke down while describing ‘sleepless’ nights following several troubling incidents that allegedly arose under his leadership, the tribunal heard.
One witness claimed that on one occasion, Johnson chose to do training on an office computer rather than review the condition of an expectant mother, who later lost her baby.
Paul Johnson (pictured), who worked for 18 years at Hull Women and Children’s Hospital, is facing 29 allegations of misconduct that cover his time as a senior and central member of staff
Another alleged that Johnson had denied a patient with learning disabilities access to the ward for so long that she arrived fully dilated and covered in faecal matter, the hearing was told.
And when a midwife asked Johnson if she should take charge of the patient’s care, he allegedly replied: ‘No I will take her. I’ve got big hands. She won’t come back if I take her.’
The unnamed witness told the court: ‘This lady should have been admitted to the labour ward. She should have been shown compassion and care.’
At the time, Johnson was responsible for deciding which pregnant mothers would be transferred onto the labour ward at Hull Women and Children’s Hospital, where they would give birth.
But witnesses outlined at least three occasions where they claimed Johnson’s judgement left them deeply concerned for the welfare of their patients.
In the early hours of October 14, 2019, one witness said a woman was admitted to the hospital at just 23 weeks and five days into her pregnancy.
The witness said the patient had been in ‘quite a lot of pain’ during the night, but claimed no reviews were undertaken of her condition between 5:15am and 6:30am.
When the witness asked another on-duty midwife, identified as ‘SH’, why Johnson hadn’t visited the mother during this period, she said he had chosen to complete ‘mandatory training’ instead.
She told the tribunal: ‘I asked where was [Johnson] at this time, and I was informed by ‘SH’ that he was on the computer in the office undertaking mandatory training.
‘The shift came over, and the day shift came on, and when they tried to listen in to the foetal heart, sadly the baby had died.’
She added: ‘Mandatory training is important but it does not take priority over clinical care.’
An internal investigation didn’t identify ‘any problems’ with the care or services given to the woman, the hearing heard.
During another alleged incident, a witness said a pregnant mother with learning disabilities had called the hospital at least three times to say she was going into labour.
It was claimed Johnson, who was the coordinator of the labour ward on the night in question, agreed to give her access to care after he was questioned by a midwife.
On the final day of his hearing, witnesses claimed Johnson frequently ‘delayed’ treatment for expectant mothers to the labour ward at Hull Women and Children’s Hospital (pictured)
But when the same midwife asked if she should take charge of the pregnant mother, he allegedly replied: ‘No I will take her. I’ve got big hands. She won’t come back if I take her.’
The witness said: ‘Unfortunately, when the young girl did arrive on the labour ward, she was struggling with faecal matter in her hands because the poor girl was fully dilated and already having her baby.
‘She should have been shown compassion and care.’
On another occasion, a witness claimed a midwife had raised concerns after scans showed that an unborn baby’s heartbeat had dropped dangerously low.
The witness alleged that instead of rushing her to the labour ward and prioritising her as an emergency case, Johnson insisted on completing a vaginal examination, leading to delays in the birth.
The witness told the hearing that the baby was taken to the intensive care ward and later suffered from a ‘significant developmental delay’.
But she claimed when Johnson visited the woman, he told her how ‘lucky’ she was that her baby had been born at all, instead of apologising for the wait.
The witness said: ‘He went to speak with the woman and said, ‘Your baby is a very lucky baby’ as though he’d saved the day.
‘I know subsequently the baby got a significant developmental delay.’
She added: ‘I was concerned with [Johnson’s] ability to prioritise women coming onto the labour ward, and he appeared to be a ‘gatekeeper’ for who came to the labour ward and when.’
On Wednesday, one witness, known only as Witness Three, claimed Mr Johnson had gloated about leaving a shift to visit a sex shop called Pulse and Cocktail to buy poppers, the hearing heard.
Witness Three, who was also in a relationship with Mr Johnson, alleged it wasn’t the only time that Mr Johnson abandoned his duties to undertake inappropriate activities and said he was well known within the hospital for disappearing when needed – earning him the nickname ‘Scarlet Pimpernel’.
Earlier, it was claimed at the tribunal that Johnson ‘bullied’ hospital staff and had made various sexualised comments towards staff during his tenure.
In one exchange, in August 2019, prosecuting solicitor Mr Joshi said Johnson told a colleague she had a ‘gorgeous figure’ and would add ‘some glamour and youth to the team’.
Johnson was also accused of filming himself performing a sex act in a hospital toilet before sending it to a colleague, with who he was in a relationship.
It was previously claimed at the hearing that Mr Johnson, one of only 50 male midwives across the country in 2018, is alleged to have taken photographs of two women during a Caesarean section without their permission, before sending the images to a colleague he was in a relationship with at the time.
The midwife is also alleged to have ‘behaved in a bullying or intimidating manner’ towards a colleague when an investigation into his conduct began.
Johnson faces 29 misconduct charges in total, ranging from the use of sexualised language in the workplace to failures in his decision-making process.
Mr Johnson has not attended the hearing and is unrepresented during proceedings.
The hearing continues.
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