article_snippet.sent: A midwife has today accepted A midwife mistakes 'contributed' to the deaths of two babies at a scandal-hit maternity unit.
article_snippet.sent: Feuding medics, an obsession with natural childbirth, and a tight knit group of midwives who dubbed themselves 'The Musketeers' contributed to a 'distressing chain of events' which led to avoidable harm to mothers and babies, at Furness General Hospital in Barrow, Cumbria.
article_snippet.sent: The report slammed the clinical competence of staff, a 'staff and us' culture between midwives, obstetricians and paeditricians and an over-zealous pursuit of natural childbirth 'at all costs' by a small group of dominant midwives.
article_snippet.sent: And The report suggests that when babies died, midwives conspired to cover up the failings.
article_snippet.sent: In total eight midwives who worked at the trust which runs the unit could face disciplinary action.
article_snippet.sent: The NMC said last year that four midwives should face hearings.
article_snippet.sent: Meanwhile another four midwives are still the subject of further investigations.
article_snippet.sent: the proceedings will hear from two of the women who were under the care of the former midwife when two of the women who were under the care of the former midwife when they lost their baby lost two of the women who were under the care of the former midwife when they lost their baby baby.
article_snippet.sent: the hearing was told about the first incident occurred in 2004 in relation to the mother referred to a Patient A. Ms Hamilton, for the NMC, said another midwife present at the birth said their babywas placed by the side of Patient A and appeared purple, blue and lifeless'.