Jo Hughson, counsel for the Professional Conduct Committee (PCC), said the midwife \u201cfelt pressured and did not willingly engage\u201d in the encounter.<\/p>\n
While the incident precipitated the events, the misconduct charge related to the midwife\u2019s decision to continue providing care to the client afterwards.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is an obligation professionally on a midwife to take steps to facilitate the termination of the relationship and not provide services to the client,\u201d Hughson said.<\/p>\n
The conduct went beyond \u201cminor human error\u201d, she said.<\/p>\n
The midwife continued to provide pregnancy, birth and post-natal care and, in those circumstances, acted in breach of trust and unethically, Hughson said.<\/p>\n
The tribunal heard that the midwife accepted the misconduct and acknowledged that she should have passed the client\u2019s care to another midwife.<\/p>\n
She is no longer practising as a midwife.<\/p>\n
Tribunal chairman Truc Tran said the allegation had been established and amounted to professional misconduct and malpractice.<\/p>\n
The midwife was censured and ordered to pay 25% of the PCC\u2019s costs and 25% of the tribunal\u2019s costs.<\/p>\n
Brianna McIlraith is a Queenstown-based reporter for Open Justice covering courts in the lower South Island. She has been a journalist since 2018 and has had a strong interest in business and financial journalism.<\/p>\n