Palmerston North midwife deregistered after providing midwifery advice, assistance to friend while suspended

A midwife has been deregistered after she provided services while suspended. Photo / File

A midwife's registration has been cancelled after she provided midwifery services to a friend despite being suspended from practising because of concerns about her competency.

Tracey Jayne Goff, of Palmerston North, arranged for blood tests and scans for her friend, requested maternal weight and height, took her blood pressure, palpated her abdomen and used a foetal heart monitor to listen to the baby's heart even though she did not have a current practising certificate, according to the Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal.

In November 2010 concerns were raised that Goff's conduct did not meet the required standards and in 2014, after a complaint, she was ordered to undergo a competency review. As a result of that she was suspended from practising in 2015 until she underwent further training, which she did not do.

However, the tribunal found she went on to provide midwifery services to a friend.

The friend believed the pair came to the agreement that Goff would be her midwife. She admitted Goff told her that she did not have a practising certificate but that she would get one.

"My understanding was that this would be a matter of her just [filling] out a form and she would just get one reasonably soon. I did not think that this was going to be an issue for [the Practitioner] and she was acting like it was not going to be an issue," the friend said.

She said Goff told her there was another midwife who could sign things off in the meantime.

Goff denied there was ever an understanding she would be the woman's midwife and said she provided advice and assistance as a friend.

Despite the differing viewpoints Goff "unquestionably" provided the woman with advice and assistance which went beyond the advice a friend would give and fell within the scope of midwifery, the tribunal ruled.

The tribunal censured Goff and ordered her deregistration.