Katie Elphick, 30, of Shoreham Beach, was sentenced to a 12-month community order with a requirement to complete 200 hours of unpaid work, after pleading guilty to a charge of forgery or copying a false instrument, at Worthing Magistrates' Court last August.

The court heard Elphick forged the signatures of 10 mentor midwives when she was completing her midwife training at Worthing Hospital, in conjunction with the University of Brighton, between December, 2005, and March, 2006.

Today (Friday, August 8), Elphick, who gave her address as Lower Beach Road during the court case last year, will face a conduct and competence committee at the NMC offices in London.

Evidence

An NMC spokeswoman said: "If the committee decides to proceed, it will go through the evidence and determine whether or not her fitness to practise was impaired as a result of the allegations.

"They will then go on to decide on any appropriate sanctions, if any."
The committee could give Elphick a caution, put conditions on her practice, impose a suspension, or strike her off the register.

Evidence at the hearing, which starts at 9.30am and is scheduled for one day, will include details heard at Worthing Magistrates' Court on August 24, 2007.

Forgery

Then, it was heard that Elphick forged the signatures of 10 mentor midwives in her portfolio, a document used to show she had witnessed different labours and operations.

Magistrate Peter Levett said at the time: "The end result of doing something you did, had it not been detected, doesn't bear thinking about – people's and babies' lives could have been at risk."

Elphick was suffering from "depression" and "anxiety attacks", the court was told last August. She had completed 16 months of an 18-month course.

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