Midwife blamed for baby's death

The Midwifery Council says it's taken on board recommendations made by a coroner following the death of a baby in 2009.

Adam Barlow died after a prolonged delivery at a Hamilton birthing centre, followed by complications at Waikato Hospital.

Coroner Gordon Matenga has found failures by Jennifer Rowan - who'd been a midwife for less than a year, contributed to his death.

Staff at the hospital also come in for criticism.

Chief executive Sharron Cole says the coroner's also particularly critical about the mentoring offered to a midwife in their first year, so changes have been made.

"There's a lot more in terms of the meeting of the reporting, of three way meetings between the new midwife, the mentor, the DHB staff."

Ms Cole says first year midwives are no longer mentored by the same person they were during their studies, to ensure they're exposed to different experiences.

The midwife whose failures contributed to the death of Adam Barlow is still practising.

Midwifery Council chief executive Sharron Cole says Ms Rowan has been practising under supervision since the death, and meets with her supervisor monthly.

"She has to bring her case notes, they sit and they go through them. It's a whole reflective process, lot's of rationale and decision making, why did she do things."

The parents of the baby want a midwife's experience to be recognised.

Adam's father Robert Barlow, says at the moment a midwife is a midwife, whether they've had 10 years experience or just six months.

"I would like to see any graduate midwife working in a hospital setting as a junior, before they become an independent self employed midwife."

Mr Barlow says the coroner's report addresses his concerns about his wife's midwifery care, and the findings have brought he and his wife some closure.

"It was important to us that as much information was learnt from his death as possible to prevent the same situation happening to others," he says.

The Midwifery Council and the Waikato DHB have accepted the coroner's findings.

Chief operating officer of the Waikato DHB Jan Adams says the coroner has accepted the finding's of the DHB's internal investigation.

"Our own internal investigation did find that there were some areas that we needed to review and improve on, and we've certainly worked over the period of time from this incident until now, making sure that those actions have been completed."

New referral guidelines have clarified how patient transfers should be handled.

Photo: NZ Herald