Midwife struck off for aromatherapy blunder

London: A midwife has been struck off after giving a pregnant woman aromatherapy oils for her headache - only for her to drink them by mistake.

The mother-to-be was meant to massage the mixture of sweet almond oil, lavender and lime into her forehead, but Sandra Hughes did not give her any instructions.

When the midwife left the hospital bed, the patient's husband arrived and told her to swallow the liquid.

It led to her being was monitored by the hospital's poisons unit to check for any ill-effects, before she later gave birth to a healthy boy. On Friday, Hughes, 53, was found guilty of misconduct by the Nursing and Midwifery Council for using her aromatherapy skills on a pregnant woman despite being banned from doing so.

The National Health Service says some aromatherapy treatments should not be used at all during pregnancy.

The blunder at Wrexham Maelor Hospital in North Wales happened after a patient, who has not been identified, complained that painkillers were not easing her headache.

A disciplinary panel heard that after secretly preparing the alternative treatment in a plastic cup, Hughes left the patient's bedside for half an hour.