Midwife guilty of misconduct named

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Name suppression on a Christchurch midwife, barred from practising after a professional misconduct hearing, has been lifted.

The midwife is Mary Elizabeth Casey, The Press has reported.

She appeared before a Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal in Christchurch in August on six charges of professional misconduct related to her treatment of five patients between 2005 and 2008.

Witnesses told the tribunal the midwife brushed off their concerns, was cold and uncaring and treated patients like animals.

One told of repeatedly ringing the midwife while in labour but being told to take Panadol and wait. She gave birth on the laundry floor.

Casey's counsel, Marcus Elliott, said testimonies from previous clients described her as "kind" and "fantastic".

The hearing had left her emotionally and financially distressed and she would voluntarily withdraw from the profession regardless of any penalty, he said.

The tribunal found Ms Casey guilty of negligence, malpractice and bringing discredit to the profession.

She was censured and her registration cancelled. She was not fined, but ordered to pay costs of $85,000.

Another midwife, also named Mary Elizabeth Casey, from Auckland, is not connected with the case.

- NZPA