A midwife known for appearing on Channel 4's One Born Every Minute has been accused of having an affair with the partner of a woman she cared for.

Joanne Lumsden, who works in a Liverpool hospital, was accused by a mother at the hospital of sleeping with her partner on holiday in Benidorm. The woman, 'Rachel' (not her real name) told The Liverpool Echo that the affair caused her partner to miss the birth of the child and a number of antenatal appointments at the hospital. The man had gone on the holiday with friends shortly before Rachel found out she was pregnant. He behaved suspiciously when he returned from the holiday and found excuses not to go to appointments, Rachel claims. When Rachel went in for a planned C-section last summer, he also missed it and the birth of their child. Joanne cared for Rachel and the baby in the hours after the birth, even giving her a rectal suppository. The next day, Joanne told Rachel that she'd met her partner months back on the holiday and had rubbed suncream on his back. A week later, Rachel says, Joanne called her and revealed they'd slept together.

"As a woman, I am now left with a life-long memory of the midwife holding my new-born baby in her arms with the knowledge that she was having sexual relations with my baby’s father during my pregnancy and being fully aware that I was under the care of her place of work."

The Liverpool Women’s Hospital Trust confirmed it was looking into formal complaint of a nurse's failure to declare a conflict of interest. "We can confirm that disciplinary proceedings were undertaken by the Trust as a result of two members of staff’s conduct," it said in a statement to Metro. "The Trust took this action immediately upon being made aware of the incident and an internal investigation was also conducted. "We would like to apologise for the upset caused to the patient as a result of their experience."