Woman gives birth outside hospital

The local hospital trust has denied turning an expectant mother away from the Royal Oldham Hospital.

Rabia Rizwan (29) claimed nurses sent her home twice and told her to take a bath and a painkiller.

She claims she was told no beds were available when she first arrived at the hospital at 10.30pm on May 1. At 4.50am next day she went into labour while on her way to hospital for the third time.

Rabia gave birth to a baby boy eight days early, in the grounds outside the hospital’s A&E department.

Cathy Trinick, head of Midwifery for Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “Our staff would only advise and send pregnant women home if it was clinically safe and they weren’t in established labour. We would never turn patients away due to a shortage of beds.

“We have looked into this case. Our staff followed the correct procedures, but the mother laboured quickly and events took over, meaning she was forced to give birth before she could reach the maternity unit again. We are pleased mother and baby are well.”