A Durham nurse who found herself calling 999 when she found herself unexpectedly giving birth at home has been reunited with the ambulance team who came to her aid.
Having called the hospital’s maternity ward when she went into labour with her second son at her home in Crook on 20 November, Danielle Richards was advised to wait until they were closer together.
However, 10 minutes later, she and her husband Leigh found themselves calling 999, coming through to health advisor Toni Hackett at North East Ambulance Service (NEAS).
Six minutes later, their son Sebastian was born, weighing 7lb 9oz.
“I had him in my hands, looked up and there the crew were. It was a massive relief!”
Danielle added: “I remember feeling overwhelmed, uncomfortable, vulnerable, and panicking as things were progressing so quickly, unable to focus or control anything other than contractions. When the crew arrived I felt almost at ease, like a weight was lifted as support from professionals had arrived. They were so polite organised and clearly communicated with everyone, including Theodore.”
As a health advisor, Toni and her emergency operations centre colleagues take more than 1.4m emergency 999 and NHS 111 calls every year.
“The nature of this job means you never know what call you’re going to take next and that’s one of the things I love about it,” she said Toni.
“When you’re on the call you don’t have time to think about it as you’re so focused on the caller, it’s only afterwards you think what could have happened. It made me so happy to know Sebastian had been delivered safely, and it was such a relief to hear the crew arrive!”
Lynsey Bancroft and her crewmate, ambulance support practitioner Tom Little, were the first to arrive, backed up by a second ambulance crew, paramedic Caitlin Macbeth and ambulance support practitioner Gillian Duce, two minutes later.
Lynsey, who joined NEAS as a paramedic in 2023, said: “This was my first job as lead clinician at a birth at home so obviously I was nervous but something just clicked into place and I was focused – I didn’t have much time to think about it really as I found myself delivering the baby before even taking my coat off!
“It was such a relief when the second crew arrived as we now had two patients to monitor and I needed my focus to be on Danielle and making sure she was OK while Caitlin and Gill checked baby Sebastian over.
“We do the job to help people and sometimes the jobs we go to are really sad but this is one of the jobs I'm most proud of!”
“I remember the relief I felt hearing the baby cry, and Toni on the phone excitedly congratulating everyone before the line was cleared. Danielle seemed completely unshaken by everything, even though it felt like everything was moving at a million miles per hour.”
Sebastian’s birth was also a first for Caitlin, who joined NEAS nearly two years ago. She said: “It’s a privilege to be present at such an important moment for a family. It was an amazing reminder of the rewarding side of the job and why I wanted to become a paramedic.
“As paramedics, we don’t often get to see the longer-term impact of our care, so knowing that the experience was positive and meaningful for Danielle is really special and reassuring.”
Danielle and Leigh were keen to thank the team, and were reunited at the ambulance service’s base in Newcastle.
“We are all doing amazing and have adjusted to being a family for four with the support of our amazing family and friends,” she said.
“As a nurse myself, I feel it’s important staff are recognised for the positives and not just the negatives. Although a scary vulnerable situation, the experience the team provided was amazing.
“I think ambulance crews are often forgotten about as once the patient is handed over in hospital they never see the ambulance crew again, but I wanted the team to meet our little boy who they all helped bring into the world safely.”
Communications officer Naomi Poulton and dispatch officer Kate Kerr were responsible for getting the crews to the Richards as quickly as possible.
“Obviously our role is quite hidden as we never get to speak to or meet a patient, we liaise directly with the crews, but we do have quite a big role to play even though people don’t know we exist,” said Naomi.
“The best part of this call for me was speaking to the crews afterwards when they were at the hospital. Caitlin came on the radio and told me how it was their first birth and what an amazing experience it was. So now actually being able to meet the family – and being able to hold Sebastian – has been so lovely. It reminds you that what we do really does make a difference.”
Toni added: “I received an update later in my shift that day to say mum and baby were well, but to then to have been able to meet them again, put a face to the voice and meet the whole family and know that I’ve been part of that family’s experience is very special.”
Tom added: “Sometimes with the emergency nature of our work it can feel almost as if you never actually got the chance to meet the patient, even though you were in their home.
“It makes me feel really proud of myself and my colleagues to think we have had such a positive impact for someone that they would take time out of their own busy life to come and see us again – and it’s always nice to hold a baby!”
