A young mum had to give birth on the pavement outside a new maternity hospital because she was pressing the wrong door buzzer, it has emerged.
Lisa McNeil delivered baby Jackson outside in freezing temperatures when she could not gain entry to the new unit at Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy. The 25-year-old, who described her ordeal as ”like a horror movie”, said she gave birth six minutes after she first used the 24-hour security entry system to alert staff of her arrival.
She claimed five other people were also standing at the doors trying to get in when 8lb 14oz Jackson appeared.
An urgent investigation by health bosses has already found that Lisa and her family initially used the wrong buzzer and that midwives were with her within two minutes of her arrival at the door. NHS Fife’s conclusion follows a review of phone records and video recordings outside the maternity unit.
However, Lisa claimed there were two buzzers and it was not obvious which one was for the delivery suite. She has now called for clearer labelling and questioned why staff were not waiting for her arrival, given her contractions had been just two minutes apart when she phoned from her Glenrothes home.
Lisa who also has an eight-year-old daughter Danica said action must be taken to prevent anyone else going through a similar ordeal.
”The reason I spoke out about it is I didn’t want any other mums to go through what I went through,” she told The Courier.
Little Jackson was caught in a cardigan by Lisa’s mum Karen, six minutes after they arrived at the unit’s main door. Although her partner Ryan Gourlay (22) did eventually gain entry to the unit before Jackson was born, by the time midwives got outside it was too late to move Lisa.
After the birth, mother and son were taken to a ward, where they were found to be healthy, despite their ordeal.
”I don’t think anyone should be put through the humiliation of having to give birth on a pavement outside a hospital in front of strangers,” Lisa said.
“I dread to think what could have happened to Jackson if my mum hadn’t caught him in my cardigan. He could have hit his head off the pavement.
“My mum is very, very angry about what’s happened. I just can’t really believe it. It’s just so surreal.”
She added: “It should be immediately obvious how to get into the building. Midwives have said they can’t hear the buzzer anyway from certain parts of the ward. That needs to be fixed.
“My contractions were two minutes apart when I phoned. They should really come down to wait for you. When I had my daughter at Forth Park it was a really quick birth as well and they were waiting for me when I arrived.”
The incident just after midnight on Sunday is the latest in a catalogue of complaints about the hospital’s new £170 million wing which opened at the end of December. Others include elderly patients being dried with bed linen due to a shortage of towels, patients forced to wait 14 hours on trolleys before being treated and parking.
Lisa added: “There have been lots of teething problems at the new hospital, which you would expect. But it’s little things like the buzzer which could make a difference.
“There are other problems too. I arrived in a panic to find there are three doors at that corner the children’s ward, the maternity ward and the delivery suite. Both the children’s ward and the maternity ward were lit up but the delivery suite was in darkness. It’s things like that that need fixed.
“I know there is a happy ending and Jackson and I are OK, but it was just a nightmare at the time and something needs to be done to make sure this never happens again.”
Mid Scotland and Fife Labour MSP Claire Baker has demanded an explanation.
“Lisa and her family should never have had to endure such a traumatic experience,” she said. “They will be relieved that baby Jackson is now safe and well, but they deserve answers.
“The fact remains that Lisa was shut outside the hospital in freezing temperatures and forced to deliver her baby in the street. NHS Fife must explain what went wrong and ensure this situation is never repeated.”
A spokeswoman for NHS Fife said Lisa and her family had arrived at the main door 26 minutes and 54 seconds after midnight. They initially used the buzzer for the assessment suite but rang the bell for delivery 28 minutes and eight seconds after midnight. Midwives opened the door 45 seconds later and Jackson was born on the pavement within two minutes.
“NHS Fife appreciates that this will have been a difficult time for the family. However, it is not always possible to predict the speed of delivery,” the spokeswoman added.