Midwife banned for prescribing heavy drugs for own use

A Hamilton midwife, who misused her license to obtain prescription drugs to feed her addiction, has been barred from practising.

Lisa Angela Gannon has been found guilty of professional misconduct by a professional conduct committee (PCC) appointment by the Midwifery Council of New Zealand.

Gannon was charged with nine particulars including signing for bulk supplies of Zopiclone Tablets and lying to a pharmacist and the Midwifery Council’s senior midwifery advisor between November 2020 and March 2021.

A panel of the Health Practitioner’s Disciplinary Tribunal noted Gannon had attempted to avoid liability by giving false information to the Council.

While the practitioner did not attend the audio-visual link hearing, despite being contacted by the Tribunal executive officer that morning, it proceeded in her absence and found Gannon guilty on all charges.

Following the guilty verdict, the Tribunal ordered censure, Gannon’s cancellation of the Midwife’s registration and a contribution towards costs of $6250 of the PCC and $1750 of the Tribunal.

This was Gannon’s third run-in with the council.

In 2016, she was referred to the council following theft and subsequent administration of benzodiazepine from a delivery suite dispensary.

Gannon admitted an addiction to diazepam and said she had taken steps to get counselling for it.

The council received a second notification in 2018 to an allegation that she had administered doses of her own prescribed citalopram to someone close to her.

She admitted to all charges, including knowingly providing false information to a pharmacist that she was picking up prescription on a behalf of another person. Gannon also lied about the patient being in the second trimester of her pregnancy when she was not.

Gannon also accepted that the conduct could negatively impact the public trust and confidence in the profession of midwifery.