Three independent midwives have been faulted by the Health and Disability Commissioner in a case that left a baby girl with a serious brain injury.
Commissioner Ron Paterson issued a report on Tuesday into a case that arose from a complaint over the midwives' actions at a birth in a rural maternity unit in 2005.
He says the baby was delivered following a prolonged period of a low heart beat.
She was resuscitated by the midwives and stablised, but did not improve.
The baby was found to have sustained a major brain injury, which the report says was presumed to have arisen from a delay in establishing effective resuscitation.
Mr Paterson says the lead maternity carer failed to exercise reasonable care and skill when assessing the mother's wellbeing, and when trying to resuscitate the baby.
He says the second midwife also did not provide adequate resuscitation, and the third failed to stay with the mother when there was a risk of haemorrhage.
