Last month the Health Care Complaints Commission prosecuted a complaint against Milton GP obstetrician Dr Brett Thomson before the medical committee.

The committee found that Dr Thomson had engaged in "unsatisfactory professional conduct’’ during a prolonged, complicated labour and birth at Milton Ulladulla Hospital in July 2011. 

It found that when Dr Thomson arrived at the hospital, just after midnight on July 3, he failed to immediately perform an emergency Caesarean despite three unsuccessful attempts by a registrar to deliver the baby vaginally using vacuum extraction.

Despite a concerning CTG (cardiotocography) result, Dr Thomson again attempted to assist the patient to have a vaginal birth via vacuum and then forceps extraction, before a Caesarean section was eventually carried out around 1am.

Upon delivery the baby was flacid and unresponsive; he was resuscitated and was later transferred to Canberra Hospital by the Neonatal and Paediatric Emergency Service.

The committee noted: ‘‘The relevant guidelines were not followed and the prolonged and complicated labour was not adequately factored into Dr Thomson’s judgement, resulting in an unnecessary delay to the Caesarean and futile attempts at extraction.’’

Dr Thomson was also reprimanded for failing to make a record of his clinical assessment of, and any management plan for, the baby.

However it was noted in the committee’s report that fatigue would have been a factor as Dr Thomson had delivered a baby at 5am on July 2, and seen around 40 patients though the course of that day.

The report also noted that since the incident Dr Thomson had made a number of changes to his GP practice - which now has four GP obstetricians – and had attended local meetings to call for the length of shifts to be reduced.