Midwife’s suspension extended to December

A midwife accused of serious misconduct over her management of a woman’s labour at the Royal Oldham Hospital has been suspended until after Christmas by a High Court judge.

Sonya Augustina Estella Merchant is facing a disciplinary inquiry before the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) over her treatment of the woman in September, 2005.

The NMC’s barrister, Melanie McDonald, told the court the baby was delivered in poor condition and had to spend 17 days in the neo-natal unit.

She added that, while the incident was being investigated, it emerged that Ms Merchant, of Preston, had failed to inform the hospital that during her previous employment in Leicestershire she had been placed under a period of supervised practice.

Ms Merchant was suspended from medical practice in January, 2006, by the NMC’s investigations committee which said she was alleged to have given a very poor standard of care. She was also accused of extremely inadequate record keeping.

Miss McDonald told Mr Justice Burnett that a full hearing of the NMC’s disciplinary case had been due to take place between May and July of this year.

But it had had to be delayed while claims by Ms Merchant that she had not been aware she was under supervised practice conditions while working in Leicestershire were fully investigated.

After a hearing at which Ms Merchant was neither present nor represented, the judge extended her suspension until December 31.