Paramedic struck off after telling woman that miscarriage blood looked ‘festive’

The patient was under the care of the Rosy Maternity unit of Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge
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Ellena Cruse23 November 2019

A paramedic who told a woman who was having a miscarriage that the colour of her blood was “festive” has been struck off.

Lucy Bambridge was found to have made a string of inappropriate comments when she and a colleague were called to a pregnant woman's house on November 28 2017.

The patient, who was not named during the disciplinary hearing, was under the care of the Rosy Maternity Unit of Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, where a scan showed her baby had died.

She was sent home to return 48 hours later to deliver, but rang 999 when she began to suffer contractions and bleeding, and delivered the dead baby while Ms Bambridge and a colleague were in her home.

Woman was asked if she had a Tupperware box for dead baby

A Health and Care Professionals Service Tribunal hearing was told Bambridge, who was working for East of England Ambulance Service, at one point said: “I don’t know what to do.”

The patient told the tribunal: “I can’t begin to tell you how terrifying it is to hear that in a situation like this.

“There was a bit of confusion with the clothes I was wearing. They helped me out of them. Obviously we had to be careful of our baby and I was trying not to look or let it fall.

“During my distress at this I was horrifically asked if we had anything to put our baby in? ‘A Tupperware box or something in your kitchen?’ We were speechless.

“They giggled nervously. Regardless of how awkward this situation was for them this was by no means a time to laugh.

Paramedics said "red is festive"

“In trying to disperse the awkward atmosphere, one girl knelt forward to me and said, ‘At least its not poo! We are bored of poo! And anyway, red is festive’.”

Ms Bambridge’s colleague, an emergency medical technician, said: “It appeared to me that this comment was made in relation to the festivities of Christmas as it was November.”

The patient also complained about her treatment when the umbilical cord, which was still attached to the baby, was cut.

She said: “The time had now come to cut the dreaded cord. A very significant part of any normal labour and normally celebrated.

Invited husband to cut dead baby's cord in 'celebration'

“You can imagine my surprise and shock when the pair of scissors was waved in celebration with a big grin in the direction of my husband, implying that he could do it for them. I just looked up at her and said, ‘you must be joking’.

“They went to cut the cord. The girl holding the scissors said to me, ‘Let’s get this cut. You don’t want all of this hanging out of you do you?’ Another unforgivable remark.”

A paramedic said she is always professional

Ms Bambridge, who resigned in December 2017 and now lives in Australia, said in a statement to the panel: “I feel deeply saddened that the patient feels this way regarding this incident, at the time I did the best I could with the limited training I had received from the trust.

“I had no intention of ever making anyone feel uncomfortable or unduly distressed. I have always maintained a high standard of professionalism required of me.”

The panel decided she should be struck off the register.

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