NHS midwife sacked for claiming terrorists could poison baby milk

Anna Semenenko was banned from the profession this month

A midwife who told a patient that terrorists could contaminate milk formula to "kill the babies" has been struck off.

Anna Semenenko made the remark when trying to persuade a patient to breastfeed.

She was banned from the profession earlier this month.

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) found Mrs Semenenko's comments were "false and misleading", unprofessional and inappropriate.

It said she had failed to treat her patient with dignity and respect.

A panel in Cardiff heard Mrs Semenenko, who worked at the Royal Gwent Hospital in Newport and Nevill Hall Hospital in Abergavenny, told another patient: "I am Anya, I am Russian. If you don't like that I can get another midwife."

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She was said to have left another patient embarrassed by commenting on her "pretty" private parts, which she took a photo of without clinical reason or consent.

The hearing was also told that during an intimate examination she speculated to a patient she was tense because of the size of her husband's genitalia.

The panel heard she also pressured the partner and mother of a patient to watch her give birth, despite this being against the mother's wishes.

Anna Semenenko worked at Newport's Royal Gwent Hospital and Abergavenny's Nevill Hall Hospital

The panel found Mrs Semenenko should be banned to mark "the seriousness of the misconduct".

An NMC report said the midwife failed to treat patients with kindness, care, respect or compassion and was not concerned with their dignity.

"It noted that she had also failed to preserve the safety of her patients and ensure the needs of her patients were responded to," it added.

"The panel was of the view that Mrs Semenenko's conduct had demonstrated a pattern of incidents where there was a risk of harm to her patients.

"The panel considered that Mrs Semenenko had displayed unsafe and ineffective midwifery practice for a period of several years.

"The panel was of the view that the findings in this particular case demonstrate that Mrs Semenenko's actions were serious and to allow her to continue practising would undermine public confidence in the profession and in the NMC as a regulatory body."

The report said Joseph Cooray, representing Mrs Semenenko, said he would make a High Court application for contempt regarding witnesses and their evidence.