Baby left in stationery cupboard

A midwife accused of leaving a new-born baby in a stationery cupboard today told a tribunal she was innocent. Yvonne Musonda-Malata and Christine Onoade allegedly left the baby lying face down in a cot at Queen's Hospital in Romford. Joanna Simpson reports.

A tribunal heard today how two midwives looking after a four day old baby left it in a stationary cupboard. The baby's mother was ill and the hospital admitted today it had no guidelines for newborns who couldn't be looked after by their mothers.

The baby was in a cot in the cupboard but was left alone, and was found on its front, which put it at risk of a cot death. Phillippa Tomson reports.

A tribunal has heard that two midwives responsible for a sick woman's four-day-old baby left him in a stationery cupboard. Yvonne Musonda-Malata and Christine Onade are accused of failing to provide appropriate clinical care while working on a night shift at Queen's Hospital in Romford.

The alleged incident, which happened in April, 2011, was reported by a nursery nurse who found the baby alone in the cupboard. Alex Curtis told the tribunal:

"I went to the post-natal ward to get an envelope from the stationery cupboard and found a baby lying on its tummy on its own. The baby was in the cot just behind the door. I cannot remember whether the light was off or on, but I saw baby on its front and went to check if it was breathing."