Health chiefs say they are “truly sorry” after a Montrose mum revealed she had been slapped twice by a midwife during birth at Ninewells Hospital.
Hannah Lynch, 32, says she experienced a “traumatic” 36-hour labour while giving birth to her second child in December 2023.
She alleges that during this, she was repeatedly denied pain medication and hit twice across the face by a midwife.
After complaining to NHS Tayside, Hannah says she faced a drawn-out process that left her with anxiety.
The health board has apologised for Hannah’s experience and for the length of time it took to deal with her complaint.
A letter sent to Hannah also acknowledged that a witness had corroborated her claim of being slapped, but it has not been confirmed if any action has been taken against the midwife.
‘I remember her just slapping me across the face’
Hannah says she had been in hospital for four days when she was induced at the maternity unit at Ninewells.
She told The Courier: “It just got so out of control so quickly.
“When you’re induced, your contractions aren’t normal, and I’d spent four days vomiting with headaches, which isn’t the best start for going into labour.
“I told them I needed proper pain relief and that it was far worse than my first birth.
“She (the midwife) just stood over me and said no.
“She kept shaking her head and telling me I would need to be admitted if I had the epidural, and she knew I didn’t want that.”
Hannah claims she was left to “beg” for pain relief and felt “despair” when she realised she was not being given any.
She continued: “I couldn’t breathe and the tears were pouring down my face, and then I remember her slapping me across the face.
“I was really shocked when it happened, but I still couldn’t breathe, and then she gave me another one across the face.
“Then the last few hours of labour, it was like I was alone.”
Montrose mum waited 55 days for response to Ninewells complaint
Hannah says that she only complained to NHS Tayside in February 2025 because she was focusing on her new baby and receiving therapy in the intervening 14 months.
She complained about inadequate pain relief, emotional distress, and alleged physical abuse during her labour.
She was told her complaint required a response within 20 working days but she did not receive a formal reply until 55 days later.
In NHS Tayside’s response, seen by The Courier, the health board acknowledged the slapping incident.
The letter said: “When we were informed of your experience of being slapped in labour, we acted on this immediately and commenced a local HR investigation.
NHS Tayside says slap claim ‘corroborated by a witness’
“When this was further corroborated by a witness within the service, we added additional steps to escalate our concerns to the appropriate independent professional bodies, including the police and the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) as per public protection guidance.
“As a service, we have a legal obligation to protect the public accessing our service, therefore, the risk to public protection was significant, and to ensure immediate safety, we were obligated under adult protection safeguarding laws to share your information with the police.
“We are aware you do not wish to pursue your complaint within criminal proceedings; however, we will continue to investigate and engage with the NMC (Nursing and Midwifery Council) processes to ensure our service continues to place the safety of women and families at its core.”
The Courier asked NHS Tayside to provide a crime reference number for its report to police, to help us check the status of the report with Police Scotland.
However, the health board said it was unwilling to provide this information.
As a result, it is not clear whether officers are investigating the incident.
NHS Tayside also refused to confirm whether the midwife had faced any internal disciplinary action.
Meanwhile, the NMC said it could not comment on individual cases.
Hannah has also contacted the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman, which investigates complaints against public bodies.
However, the SPSO says it cannot comment on the status of investigations it is carrying out.
Mum calls for better training for staff
Hannah is now urging NHS Tayside to provide better pain management training for its staff and more transparency when dealing with complaints.
Her comments come just weeks after Healthcare Improvement Scotland formally ordered NHS Tayside to improve maternity services at Ninewells following an unannounced inspection.
These included staffing issues and a lack of oversight by senior managers within maternity services.
A spokesperson for NHS Tayside said: “We are truly sorry that Ms Lynch has gone through this experience.
“Although we are unable to comment on individual cases due to patient confidentiality, we do take complaints very seriously and carefully consider every concern raised.
Health board praises Montrose woman for ‘sharing her experiences’
“We encourage women and their families to share experiences, as this valuable input helps us improve the quality of care we provide.
“When serious allegations arise, we have a responsibility to report these to the relevant independent professional bodies, in accordance with public protection guidance, to ensure we are safeguarding people who use services.
“We are sorry Ms Lynch’s complaint was not resolved as quickly as we would have liked.
“Sometimes, responses take longer than anticipated, and we understand how frustrating that can be.
“We are committed to learning from feedback to help continually improve the maternity care experienced for women and their families and appreciate Ms Lynch’s trust in sharing her experiences.”
The Courier has been unable to reach the midwife for comment.
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