A midwife who diverted about $100,000 intended for her employer into her own account has been suspended for 12 months after a disciplinary tribunal found she was capable of rehabilitation despite admitting conduct that amounted to theft.
The Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal found Corrina Parata guilty of malpractice and bringing discredit to the profession after she admitted making hundreds of false claims for maternity services while employed by Ngati Porou Oranga at Te Puia Springs Hospital.
Rather than cancelling her registration, the tribunal suspended Parata from practice for a year and imposed strict conditions on her return, finding she was capable of rehabilitation and returning to the profession.
In a formal censure included in the decision, the tribunal told her: "Corinna Parata, you are censured for an egregious breach of standards of honesty expected of a registered Midwife. Your actions have brought yourself and the profession of midwifery into disrepute."
Parata was employed on a salary of $104,000 and was prohibited from claiming funding as a self-employed lead maternity care provider. Despite that, she made 192 claims for maternity services between 2022 and December 2023, receiving about $100,000 that should have gone to her employer.
An audit was launched after Ngati Porou Oranga noticed significant underclaiming from funding authorities. Parata resigned shortly after being notified of the investigation.
She later admitted her conduct involved...
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