By 1news.co.nz
A midwife who took 17 hours to attend to a pregnant woman in pain, experiencing her first labour, has been found in breach of the health code of conduct.
The Health and Disability Commissioner (HDC) released the findings and recommendations of an investigation into the 2019 case today.
Deputy Commissioner Rose Wall said the breaches centred on the on-call midwife not providing appropriate or sufficient information or communication about the progress of labour or pain relief options available.
“The woman, who was in her first pregnancy, laboured at home without adequate care, support or assessment.”
The woman, in her 20s, who was close to full term, was home alone at the time. She had gone into labour and contacted the midwife seeking advice about contractions.
The midwife communicated with, and assessed, the woman via text but did not visit her until 17 hours later. By this time, the woman was close to giving birth, Wall said.
The woman later told HDC: “I later… started bleeding and… was crying for an ambulance.” She stated: “I had no indication that [the on-call midwife] would be coming anytime soon despite constant calls and texts of urgency.”
The woman’s sister-in-law had arrived in the interim to support her.
She told the HDC: “Throughout the whole labour, [the on-call midwife] made myself and [the mother] feel as though we knew nothing and that we were overreacting.
“No patient should ever have to beg for care and it had gotten to the point where we had to send visuals to [the midwife] so… she could see things were actually happening.”
The woman went on to deliver a healthy baby boy by vaginal birth, but experienced complications after the birth.
She complained to the HDC about the lack of care provided by the midwife before, during and after her labour. The woman said she felt unsupported by the midwife and her labour experience and subsequent illness were “very unsettling and traumatic”.
Wall said: “Ms A did not receive the standard of midwifery care, support and information she was entitled to during her labour and over the following 24 hours in hospital after the delivery.”
She found the midwife breached Right 4 (1) of the Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers’ Rights by failing to provide services to the woman with the standard of care, support and information she was entitled to during her labour and in the immediate 24 hours after delivery.
The midwife was also found to have breached Right 4(2) by failing to appropriately document relevant information.
Wall said also criticised another midwife involved in the case for failing to provide the expected level of postnatal care.
“During the woman’s postnatal period in hospital, neither of her midwives provided the woman with the expected level of support.”
The deputy commissioner said the findings highlight the importance of midwives providing individualised care in partnership with women, and of adequate documentation.
The midwife, who is not currently practising, told the HDC she has completed a midwives record keeping course, began to work online and has adopted a more sustainable working arrangement.
Wall has recommended the midwife provide a written apology to the woman.
The deputy commissioner has also recommended that the Midwifery Council consider the findings from this case should the midwife apply to return to practice in the future.