This was the conversation I had with a colleague, this is what she had to say about the issues surrounding homebirth. I am urging open discussion what do you think? have your say!
"Went to a talk by Paul Keating this week - interesting. He talked about "BIG picture" thinking, he related it to his governments initiatives around APEC. I felt it related to us and what is happening now.
It seems to me that women (and midwives) need to consider what they want for maternity care in 5 - 10 years time. Nothing happens quickly - in this state (WA) it took us 12 years of lobbying towards a clear "big picture" goal to get a change in legislation's that meant we could provide a direct entry route midwifery course. This didn't come without some pain.
I can't help but think that this is what is needed now - "big picture" thinking. We need to develop a strategy in which homebirth becomes an option that is offered by mainstream maternity services - like in many other countries. If that means a little pain in the short term, particularly around the impact of the indemnity requirements for national registration on private practice - well that may be the short term price we need to pay. As long as we keep our eyes on the "big picture" I feel we can weather the storm.
We need to grasp the medicare provider numbers and lobby STRONGLY - for homebirth and other models of midwifery care to be part of mainstream maternity services. One we have more runs on the board (yes I know the evidence is there already - but we are asking the majority of Australians to make a significant shift in their beliefs) - in terms of outcomes ....... then we launch our insurance offensive.
I think we need to acknowledge that these are interesting political times for women and the midwifery profession - and we need to focus our energies in battles we can win - and then when things are progressing launch our next offensive.
My dream is that my sons and their partners will have greater access to a range of maternity models in which to birth their babies".
Jennie
Showing posts with label Student. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Student. Show all posts
Monday, July 6, 2009
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Medicare funding for Midwifery Care
Australian College of Midwives Media Release
Access for pregnant women to Medicare funded midwifery care on the way
Less than 6 weeks after the Federal Budget, Heath Minister Nicola Roxon has today introduced the first bills to legislate giving women access to Medicare funding for expert midwifery care.
“This is historic legislation for childbearing women and their families” said Dr Barbara Vernon, Executive Officer of the Australian College of Midwives. “The ACM commends Roxon for her leadership in taking evidence based steps to enhance women’s choices in maternity care.”
“From November next year, women will be able to choose the care of a midwife to provide their pregnancy care in the community, follow the woman into hospital to provide her labour and birth, and follow her home again afterwards to provide the vital professional support in the early weeks of caring for a newborn baby”.
The government’s bills will pave the way for women to receive Medicare rebates for private midwifery care, as well as providing for Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme rebates for relevant tests and drugs. One bill will specifically support eligible midwives to access professional indemnity insurance for their care.
“These reforms stand to benefit most Australian women. Once midwives are on the ground, women in rural and remote communities will particularly benefit. Closure of more than 120 rural maternity services in the past 10-15 years has left thousands of women with little or no access to local maternity care and even less access to continuity of midwifery care. Midwives, working collaboratively with GP obstetricians, will help meet women’s need for local care.
“This national legislation recognises for the first time that midwives make a valuable contribution to maternity care in their own right. Evidence confirms that women who receive continuity of care from a known midwife have shorter labours, less need for surgical interventions during birth, reduced rates of admission to special care nursery for their babies, reduced vulnerability to postnatal depression and higher rates of breastfeeding.”
Midwives who provide Medicare funded care will work collaboratively with doctors and other health professionals to ensure the individual needs of each woman and baby are fully met. Midwives will have visiting access to hospitals, and clear referral pathways for women in their care who need obstetric or other health care during their pregnancy, labour and/or postnatal care.
“We’re not expecting midwives to abandon employed positions in large numbers as a result of these policies. There will always be a need for hospital employed midwives to care for women and babies Rather we anticipate a gradual change, as midwives who are eligible to provide continuity of care in the community move to take up this opportunity”
“These reforms will not only give women greater choice than they currently have, they will also give most midwives more choice about how and where they provide care to women, thereby helping to reduce stress and loss of midwives to the maternity care workforce.”
“The only dark cloud in these historic reforms is that they will not provide for women who choose to give birth at home under the care of a midwife. There is mounting international evidence that the option of birth at home is safe for low risk women. ACM is concerned that the rise in unattended homebirths will only get worse unless the government extends its proposed indemnity scheme to ensure healthy low risk women can continue to choose homebirth with competent networked midwives.”
This is progress, lets keep the pressure on!
Access for pregnant women to Medicare funded midwifery care on the way
Less than 6 weeks after the Federal Budget, Heath Minister Nicola Roxon has today introduced the first bills to legislate giving women access to Medicare funding for expert midwifery care.
“This is historic legislation for childbearing women and their families” said Dr Barbara Vernon, Executive Officer of the Australian College of Midwives. “The ACM commends Roxon for her leadership in taking evidence based steps to enhance women’s choices in maternity care.”
“From November next year, women will be able to choose the care of a midwife to provide their pregnancy care in the community, follow the woman into hospital to provide her labour and birth, and follow her home again afterwards to provide the vital professional support in the early weeks of caring for a newborn baby”.
The government’s bills will pave the way for women to receive Medicare rebates for private midwifery care, as well as providing for Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme rebates for relevant tests and drugs. One bill will specifically support eligible midwives to access professional indemnity insurance for their care.
“These reforms stand to benefit most Australian women. Once midwives are on the ground, women in rural and remote communities will particularly benefit. Closure of more than 120 rural maternity services in the past 10-15 years has left thousands of women with little or no access to local maternity care and even less access to continuity of midwifery care. Midwives, working collaboratively with GP obstetricians, will help meet women’s need for local care.
“This national legislation recognises for the first time that midwives make a valuable contribution to maternity care in their own right. Evidence confirms that women who receive continuity of care from a known midwife have shorter labours, less need for surgical interventions during birth, reduced rates of admission to special care nursery for their babies, reduced vulnerability to postnatal depression and higher rates of breastfeeding.”
Midwives who provide Medicare funded care will work collaboratively with doctors and other health professionals to ensure the individual needs of each woman and baby are fully met. Midwives will have visiting access to hospitals, and clear referral pathways for women in their care who need obstetric or other health care during their pregnancy, labour and/or postnatal care.
“We’re not expecting midwives to abandon employed positions in large numbers as a result of these policies. There will always be a need for hospital employed midwives to care for women and babies Rather we anticipate a gradual change, as midwives who are eligible to provide continuity of care in the community move to take up this opportunity”
“These reforms will not only give women greater choice than they currently have, they will also give most midwives more choice about how and where they provide care to women, thereby helping to reduce stress and loss of midwives to the maternity care workforce.”
“The only dark cloud in these historic reforms is that they will not provide for women who choose to give birth at home under the care of a midwife. There is mounting international evidence that the option of birth at home is safe for low risk women. ACM is concerned that the rise in unattended homebirths will only get worse unless the government extends its proposed indemnity scheme to ensure healthy low risk women can continue to choose homebirth with competent networked midwives.”
This is progress, lets keep the pressure on!
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Seeing red in 2010
Hi all
The registrations for the 2010 Breathing New Life conference co-badged by Australian College of Midwives, RANZCOG and Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) have just been released. It is to be held in ALICE APRINGS!!!!!
What a fabulous opportunity to see the Red Centre from July 1-4 next year.
Link for registrations here.
Of course this year's 2009 conference will be in Adelaide from September 22-25 and you can link to that through the national ACM site here.
The registrations for the 2010 Breathing New Life conference co-badged by Australian College of Midwives, RANZCOG and Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) have just been released. It is to be held in ALICE APRINGS!!!!!
What a fabulous opportunity to see the Red Centre from July 1-4 next year.
Link for registrations here.
Of course this year's 2009 conference will be in Adelaide from September 22-25 and you can link to that through the national ACM site here.
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