Midwife admits errors over Caesarean death

The midwife of a woman who died after a Caesarean operation at the private Portland Hospital yesterday admitted a series of oversights at a disciplinary hearing.

Laura Touche, 31, from Chelsea, had a fatal stroke nine days after delivering twins, Alexander and Charles, at the private hospital in London.

The Nursing and Midwifery Council heard that Grace Bartholomew, 57, from Tottenham, had been working on the postnatal ward on the night of 6 February 1999, when Mrs Touche was admitted.

Ms Bartholomew, who was allocated to care for Mrs Touche, admitted failure to carry out observations after the operation, to provide an adequate handover when she went on her break at 1.30am and to maintain adequate records on the new mother while she was in her care. However, she denies misconduct in relation to the charges.

She had been working as a bank nurse doing shifts at the £1,800 per night hospital since it opened in 1983.

Ms Bartholomew was singled out for criticism by the coroner, Dr Susan Hungerford, who said she should have checked Mrs Touche's blood pressure and said Mrs Touche might have been treated earlier if her high blood pressure had been spotted sooner.

Mrs Touche, a Harvard law school graduate and a descendant of the former US President Thomas Jefferson, died from natural causes "contributed to by neglect", an inquest found in January 2002.

Mrs Touche's husband, Peter Touche, 34, is the grandson of the founder of the accountancy firm Deloitte and Touche. He fought to have an inquest into his wife's death and was attending the hearing.

The hearing continues.