Guernsey radiographer suspended for three months

A radiographer at Guernsey's Princess Elizabeth Hospital has been suspended for three months.

Catherine Birnie wrongly told a patient her pregnancy had failed, and did not spot that a baby with Down's Syndrome had two holes in its heart, the tribunal heard.

Birnie moved to Guernsey in 2003 to undertake a post involving Radiography and Ultrasound.

She was put on a university training course, which she completed in 2013, but was then left to conduct scans independently with no supervision, tuition or peer review.

The tribunal heard that in one scan, Ms Birnie told a patient she had an enlarged ovary in-keeping with polycystic ovaries when this was not the case - she had measured the patient's uterus instead of her ovary on this occasion.

Birnie was earlier cleared by the panel of telling a mum that her unborn baby was still alive when it had died.

The HCPC panel, chaired by Andrew Gell, found Birnie's fitness to practice was impaired and suspended her for three months.