A hospital in Britain today promised to investigate claims that a mother was forced to give birth in a freezing car park in the early hours because the doors to a maternity unit were locked and would not open.
Warwick Hospital said it was reviewing procedures after supermarket worker Paula Chamberlain went into labour outside the unit but was locked out despite trying for up to 10 minutes to alert staff inside via an intercom and a mobile telephone.
Mrs Chamberlain, 23, of Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, eventually gave birth to her third child, Ethan, while leaning against her car which was parked outside.
Hospital spokesman Mr Peter Tolhurst said the doors to the main entrance of the unit are routinely closed at night for security reasons and that an investigation had been launched into what went wrong.
"We have tested the doors and they appear to be working satisfactorily at the moment. We were aware they were coming in. We had their notes and we were expecting them. There is some uncertainty as to what happened," he told reporters.
"They came along and said they were unable to gain access to the maternity unit and rang through to the labour suite. They were able to respond but the mother was already in labour.
"We have been on that site for eight to nine years and it's the first time we have had any problems with the access systems. It concerns us a great deal."
Mrs Chamberlain's husband, Darren, 29, took her to the hospital at about 2.45 a.m. on Friday but was unable to open the doors.
"Darren was pressing the buzzer but there was no answer. I don't know if it is just an intercom or not but the doors would not open," she said.
"After a couple of minutes I thought someone would be on their way down and got out of the car but my waters broke.
"Darren was terrified. He didn't know what to do and he was getting really angry. He phoned up again. They said someone was coming down but by then I had delivered my own baby."
Two midwives and an electrician arrived at the other side of the doors to prise the entrance open, but although Mr Chamberlain got inside his wife was left stranded outside when the doors slammed shut.
A security card was eventually wedged between the doors to allow her in.
Mrs Chamberlain said she was lucky there were no complications during the birth.
The couple's two other children, Callum, aged four, and Brandon, aged two, were also born at the hospital.
Unemployed Mr Chamberlain added: "Ethan has suffered no ill effects but we've lost our faith in the hospital.
"I'm so angry about what happened. It was so cold. There was probably a fault with the door but even so, they should have been down quicker."
PA