Pharmacists warned about ex-midwife’s prescriptions

Pharmacists have been told to keep an eye out for a former midwife forging prescriptions for addictive opiates, possibly for her own use.

Dr John Crawshaw, the Ministry of Health medicines control medical officer of health, sent out a privileged statement to all pharmacies telling them the woman had been trying to write prescriptions for codeine and tramadol using other midwives’ details and false patient details.

The October 6 statement also reminded pharmacists that midwives could not prescribe codeine or high doses of tramadol. It told pharmacists not to dispense the drugs if the prescription was written by a midwife and to contact the police if they determined the prescription was forged.

Midwifery Council communications adviser Leigh Bredenkamp said the council was contacted by a pharmacist concerned about a midwife’s prescribing on October 3.

The pharmacist said the midwife had previously had scripts filled at the pharmacy for codeine and large doses of tramadol. Medicines Control, Ministry of Health and police were informed.

Bredenkamp said codeine was a class C controlled drug and not one of the three controlled drugs midwives could prescribe, while prescribing large doses of tramadol for extended periods would not be within usual midwifery practice. She said the midwife involved had a health condition which meant she could no longer practise and voluntarily relinquished her practising certificate this year.

Because the midwife did not have a certificate the council could not investigate, Bredenkamp said. It was being treated as an act of fraud and was being dealt with by police.

Crawshaw said the statement was sent as an educative reminder. He said the issuing of such a statement was very infrequent — it was the first statement published this year.

An email later sent to pharmacies said new legal advice suggested the statement should not have been sent out.

The ministry did not respond to questions about this.