An Auckland midwife wrongfully claimed $197,000 from the Ministry of Health for services she had not provided (file photo). Photo:
An Auckland midwife has been accused of wrongfully claiming $197,000 from the Ministry of Health and not being present at the birth of 36 patients - leaving some to have babies in ambulances and hospital car parks, a tribunal has heard.
The woman, known only as Ms N, was charged with nine counts of professional misconduct, but was not present or represented as her case went before the Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal on Monday.
It was alleged that between January 2014 and August 2018, the woman submitted claims for services she had not provided, for payments she knew she was not entitled to - resulting in her wrongfully receiving $197,738.90, (excluding GST) from the Ministry of Health.
Among other things, she claimed for antenatal visits which did not occur, births which happened in hospitals - that did not meet the definition of home births - and rural travel to places she had never visited, the tribunal heard.
It was alleged she also tried to mislead the Ministry of Health with altered, inaccurate or false records.
In 2018 the ministry conducted an audit and investigation of Ms N's claiming - which also raised concerns around the care she was providing.
Over a six-year period, the woman was also accused of failing to document and/or provide adequate midwifery on numerous occasions, posing a risk to the health and safety of women and their babies.
The Professional Conduct Committee (PCC) allege she failed to conduct and/or document any consultations in the first or second trimester for eight clients, as well as six clients in their third trimester.
The woman was not present at the birth of 36 patients' babies.
On eight occasions she failed to provide any labour or birth care to her clients, or ensure a back-up midwife did.
The tribunal heard how some of her clients had given birth in an ambulance and a hospital car park.
On at least 15 occasions, the midwife failed to conduct and/or document any inpatient or postnatal home visits to her clients and their babies.
A Ministry of Health employee involved in the audit said there was a particular "vulnerability" of Ms N's clients, due to their lack of fluent English.
The witness said the number of births Ms N was not present for was much higher than average.
Of the 12 clients interviewed for the audit, four did not have Ms N present at their births, she said.
She also noted an occasion where Ms N provided overlapping labour care to multiple women without utilising the assistance of a back-up midwife.
Two of the women had to have emergency caesarean, the tribunal heard.
"While there was no harm done, the potential for harm was high," she said.
The hearing was expected to last five days.
This story was originally published on Stuff.