A former Rotorua midwife could go before a disciplinary tribunal over her seriously suboptimal care of a mother and a 26-hour-old infant who died.
A report by Health and Disability Commissioner Anthony Hill was released yesterday after an investigation into the care Priscilla Punita gave former Rotorua woman Denise Simpson-Vogan and her baby, Axton Mead, who died from lack of oxygen during delivery at Rotorua Hospital in February 2009.
Mr Hill has ordered Ms Punita, who has since retired, to make a written apology to Ms Simpson-Vogan after the report found she had stopped monitoring the babys heart rate during labour against instructions by an obstetrician.
Ms Punita did not respond to Rotorua Daily Post attempts for comment yesterday.
Ms Simpson-Vogan had difficulties with her first birth and needed an emergency caesarean when her daughter, now 9, showed signs of fetal distress. Because of her history, she was advised by an obstetrician during her pregnancy with Axton that she would need continuous monitoring throughout her labour.
Axton was born pale and not breathing and was flown to intensive care at Waikato Hospital but died the following day.
During a coronial inquest in 2010, Ms Punita said Ms Simpson-Vogan did not want to be restricted to the bed during the labour so she disconnected the CTG (cardiotocography) monitor. The report stated that the lack of continuous monitoring meant Ms Punita did not know Axton was being deprived of adequate oxygen after he swallowed faeces in the womb.
Other failures included failing to assess Ms Simpson-Vogan adequately, not discussing with the mother that she had ceased monitoring, not recording her reasons she stopped monitoring, not recording the fetal heart rate adequately and not communicating adequately with Ms Simpson-Vogan.
Mr Hill said he considered the care was seriously suboptimal and Ms Punita failed to provide services to the mother with reasonable care and skill.
He ordered her to make a written apology to Ms Simpson-Vogan within a month and referred her to the director of proceedings to decide whether she should go before the Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal.