Natasha Oglesby

Image Credit: FACEBOOK:Natasha Oglesby

A B.C. midwife stands accused of billing the province for a delivery that she didn't do and is scheduled for a disciplinary hearing in the fall.

According to a March 31 B.C. College of Nurses and Midwives hearing notice, Chilliwack-based midwife Natasha Oglesby billed the Medical Services Plan for a labour and delivery she didn't attend because she was in Quebec.

The birth took place in March 2021 and the College accuses Oglesby of failing to take appropriate action when the mother called her to say she'd had the baby at home without any professional care.

"(Oglesby) did not take appropriate action when (she) did not immediately notify the backup midwife of the birth to arrange for them to go to (the) client's home; did not immediately notify the hospital of the unattended homebirth; and/or did not advise (the) client and/or their spouse to seek an immediate in-person assessment by means including attending the hospital, calling the backup midwife to attend, or calling emergency medical services to attend and/or transport them to hospital," the citation reads.

The regulator says Oglesby then provided "inappropriate" postpartum care by giving advice and guidance to the father on how to assess the newborn baby.

The citation says the midwife told the father how to cut the umbilical cord and deliver the placenta.

She then relied on text messages and photographs to assess the newborn's colour and tone, weight, feeding, and overall general health.

The midwife also stands accused of another incident six months later while she was again in Quebec.

"Oglesby did not appropriately communicate in a professional, effective, and/or timely manner, or at all, to your midwifery clients... that you were going to be away or what the backup coverage arrangements were," the citation reads.

The regulator said that she also provided "inappropriate advice" over the phone and failed to tell an expectant mother to go to hospital after her membrane spontaneously ruptured.

READ MORE: B.C. nurse reprimanded for using 'undue force' with patient

The regulator also says in October 2021 Oglesby performed a frenectomy – a minor oral survey – on a newborn baby when it was outside of her scope of practice.

"You did not refer (the) client to a qualified health care professional to assess the necessity for and perform the frenectomy," the citation reads.

The citation says that shortly after this incident, the midwife closed her practice, the Maternity Tree, because she refused to comply with the Public Health Officer’s Order that all health professionals must be vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to maintain hospital privileges.

READ MORE: B.C. nurse suspended for two weeks for poor communication

None of the allegations have been proven and Oglesby is scheduled for a hearing in British Columbia in October.

— This story was edited at 3:49 p.m. April 2, 2023. Information that could not be verified was removed. 

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