ACM Homebirth (interim) Position Statement;

Dear Members,

Please take the time to read and comment on the ACM's interim Homebirth position statement and guidance for privately practicing midwives;

Interim Position Statement on Homebirth

Interim Guidance for privately practising midwives providing midwifery care for a planned homebirth

ACM has requested comment on both the interim position statement and the interim guidance for privately practising midwives by close of business 23rd September 2011.

Send submissions by email to info@midwives.org.au or by post to PO Box 87, Deakin West ACT 2600. Only submissions with identified senders and a return address will be considered.

IMD Conference 2011: Home and Away

Come and join the WA ACM in celebrating International Midwives Day:

Friday 6th May 2011: 0830:1630 CITY WEST FUNCTION CENTRE: 45 PLAISTOWE MEWS: CITY WEST, WEST PERTH


Share in the experiences and challenges for midwives who care for pregnant and childbearing women in both local and developing world contexts. Gain insight into the setting up of a Midwifery Group Practice from the first Eligible Western Australian Midwife.

Finish the day networking with friends and colleagues at the sundowner enjoying drinks and nibbles.

Midwifery care of adolescent pregnant women: Australia vs South Africa - Marie Spearing, Deb Ireson, Ravani Duggan

Midwifery care in Sierra Leone - Brooke Jones

Trauma and torture - Renay Grech

National Update - ACM President Tracy Martin

The journey to become an Eligible Midwife- Pauline Costins

Setting up a group practice - Centred Midwifery Group Practice Inc midwives

REGISTRATION 08.30 - 09.00
Registration includes refreshments & lunch
Sundowner drinks and nibbles 16.30 - 17.30
Free parking all day

REGISTRATIONS CLOSE
3RD MAY 2011

EnquirIes: Elizabeth Ashton: Liz.Ashton@health.wa.gov.au

To Register
www.midwives.org.au
ACM NATIONAL OFFICE
(02) 6230 7333 1300 360 480 (free call)
Email: members@midwives.org.au

FULL DAY COST (GST INCLUSIVE)
MEMBERS $100 / NON -MEMBERS $120
STUDENTS $70 / GROUP BOOKING
(4 OR MORE ) DISCOUNT $10 PP
ACM CPD points apply
*Program subject to change

Resignation as WA Board Director

The ACM vision........... is to be the leading organisation shaping Australian maternity care for the benefit of women and their families
The Australian College of Midwives (ACM) is the peak professional body for Australian midwives, which strives to maximize the quality of midwifery and maternity care for Australian women and their families through:
• Providing a unified voice for the midwifery profession.
• Supporting midwives to reach their full potential.
• Ensuring all childbearing women have access to continuity of care by a known midwife.
• Setting professional practice and education standards

I believe in the above vision that is why I was both delighted and honoured to be elected the WA Board Director, unfortunately for me the position has only lasted l2mths and it was a challenging year. I spent the first few meetings finding my feet and dealing with the personalities of everyone on the Board as well as assessing the current political situation. I met some phenomenal women on the Board... and everyone works with what they consider is the “best interest” of the ACM.

I feel that WA is in a unique position that we do not have some of the issues faced by our counterparts in the Eastern States. It saddens me to say that I have resigned (December 2010). I am bound by confidentiality of the Board and therefore I cannot divulge the reasons why I resigned except to say that the situation was untenable and I have the support of the whole WA executive committee. This has not been an easy decision it was painstakingly difficult. The decision was made in the best interest of the ACM and its membership.

I continue to support and believe in the ACM Nationally. I will continue to put all my energy into the WA Branch to encourage its growth, support the membership and foster collegial and political relationships to further the profession of midwifery in WA and one day I will return to the National Board. The ACM works to support all midwives, ensuring that childbearing women have access to continuity of midwifery care.
I do believe as a profession we need a strong national body to represent all midwives, a body that is respected and accepted by all midwives to take us forward into the 21st century and I believe that the ACM can deliver this.

Regards your servant Pauline Costins

WA Branch AGM: November 2010

Dear Members, my sincere apologies for reporting so late on the WA ACM AGM. November and December have been extremely busy for me and I have only now caught up with myself. I have quite a few stories to write to keep you updated, so will start in chronological order from the AGM.

As you all remember the AGM was 12th November combined with our yearly conference, this strategy of a yearly conference with a set date has proven to be successful and City West seems to be a great hit with all our members. The WA Branch has experienced a 20% growth in the last year, that is just fantastic and a special thank you to all the student midwives who make up a good percentage of the growth, as you are our future.....and we welcome your input to the College.

WA Branch of the ACM is growing in membership and continues to support its members and has a strong executive team working together for the members of WA. Congratulations to the new members of the executive committee; Liz Ashton, Carol Pinch, Sara Bayes, Liza Kennedy and Judith Wilson.

President Tracy Martin, Vice President Terri Barrett, Treasurer; Sylvia Jenkin, Secretary; Laura Robertson; WA National Director Pauline Costins, Minute secretary Trish Dempsey, Education Standards Janice Butt; Publicity & Merchandise Carli Beange; Aboriginal rep; Karen Kruit; Education Officer Liz Ashton, Education Committee – Carol Pinch, Judith Wilson, Sara Bayes; General committee: Liza Kennedy, Abbey Rodda, Sue Cudlip.

Ms Tracy Martin WA President opened the day, inspiring all who were present; It was a diverse program and as usual the presenters were of a great calibre; they included; Dianne Bond – Diabetes Service, Sadie Geraghty - Vitamin D; Renate McLaurin - Cannabis use and Pregnancy; Mother & baby unit – State-wide Mental Health unit; Debbie Slatter and Lesley Kuliukas – Childbirth Education, there were several other presentations..... All excellent. Everyone seemed to enjoy the day..... the food as usual was brilliant and plenty of it... we ended the day with a sundowner.... a grand way to finish off the day with a glass of red wine.....

A thank you goes to all the sponsors whose generous contributions made this event possible: St John of God Hospital Subiaco & Murdoch, Police and Nurses Credit Society; ACM WA Branch, WELDA & Cell Care; and a big thank you to all who attended the day and made it the success it was..... see you all next year.

Cheers Pauline

PS pictures coming.....

Guinea Pigs or Trail Blazers

When I was asked to write something for the ACM blog about the experience of being the first BMid students to get through their training in WA, I realised how difficult it was going to be to sum up the gamut of emotions, the roller coaster ride that my fellow BMidder’s and myself have been on the last 3 years.

We are a diverse bunch of women, some young, some not as young, we have children, husbands, careers, boyfriends, and jobs outside our training to be midwives. Yet I think it is safe to say that for three years we have lived, breathed, eaten, dreamed, hated, loved, and despaired over nothing else but midwifery. Midwifery has been centre stage.


We are the guinea pigs. How often have we heard this girls? The initial reaction to us in some places was palpable. We were told we could not make good midwives (because we are not nurses), that we would not be employed (because we are not nurses), that we would not be able to give certain medications (because we are not nurses). We did wonder at times, if we would be able to do anything at all..........as midwives.



Despite these frustration’s, and thanks to the tenacity and support of amazing and wonderful women: Jenny Wood, Lesley Kuliukas, Janice Butt and our tutors, we marched on because we knew deep down inside that it is midwives we want to be, NOT nurses.


As a group we feel very lucky to have experienced many models of care. We were able to see home birth and family birth centre births. We watched women make informed choices about their care and become empowered in women centred models of care. We experienced continuity of care and developed an appreciation of how continuity of care is the gold standard in maternity care.


We were privileged to develop relationships with many women, and care for them during their pregnancy, labour, birth and beyond. We have been “with woman” for a diverse group of women: women with mental illness, women who are still teenagers, women from remote Aboriginal communities, refugee and migrant women, single and married women, women addicted to substances, diabetic and healthy, free and incarcerated, public and private. We are coloured by these experiences.

We have had three years to soak up the political environment. I am not sure any of us realised JUST how political midwifery and healthcare could be. We are now well informed of this fact and have consented to being a part of the debate. The same debate as always; how do we work together with other health professionals and how do we respect women’s choices.

There are 17 students in my graduating class, and through our trials and tribulations we have leaned on one another for support and friendship. We are grateful that we have had one another and will continue to support each another as we work as midwives. We are also grateful to the hospitals that have provided clinical placements and the midwives who have had the patience to take us under their wings.


So now that we are heading down the birth canal, there is a lot of stretching, and discomfort, a little bit of fear of what it means to be completely responsible for our actions as registered midwives. We have come a long way, and the learning is only just about to start. Most importantly, we have realised (and we hope everybody else does too) that, we are not guinea pigs, we are trail blazers and we are very proud to be moving the profession of midwifery forward.

A Directors responsibility under the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) (the Act)

The Australian College of Midwives is an incorporation therefore falls under the rules and regulations of the Corporations Act (Cth) and the statue of limitation is 6 years, therefore a responsible position.
By law a Board Director is responsible for: The following information comes from Directors Duties under the Corporations Act 2001

Duty to act with care and diligence - s180(1)
A director or other officer must exercise their duties with a degree of care and diligence that a reasonable person would exercise in their position. The standard of care and diligence required as determined by a court would take into consideration the company's circumstances and the director or officers position within the company. The skill required by an executive director is measured objectively in regard to that directors' special calling. So, in considering whether a director is so negligent as to be in breach of the statutory duty, the conduct is measured in two ways: against the (objective) standard of care; and against the standard of skill held by the particular director or officer.

Duty to exercise powers in good faith – s181(1) (Conflict of duties)
A director or other officer of a corporation must exercise their powers and discharge their duties: in good faith in the best interests of the corporation; and for a proper purpose.

Duty not to improperly use position - s182 (Duty not to profit from position)
A director, secretary, other officer or employee of a corporation must not improperly use their position to: gain an advantage for themselves or someone else; or cause detriment to the corporation.

Duty not to fetter discretion's Directors have certain discretion's conferred on them by law and the company's constitution. When exercising such discretion's the directors are subject to two duties, namely: a duty to retain discretion; and duty to give adequate consideration.

Directors must exercise active discretion, they cannot ignore issues or blindly rely on another person. They must give adequate consideration when purporting to exercise a particular discretion.

Material personal interest - director's duty to disclose - Section 191
s191 requires a director who has material personal interest in a matter that relates to the affairs of the company to give the other directors notice of this interest. s191(2) outlines the exceptions to this requirement to provide notice.

The notice must give details of the nature and extent of the interest and the relation of the interest to the affairs of the company and be provided at a directors' meeting as soon as practicable after the director becomes aware of their interest. The details must be recorded in the minutes of the meeting.

Failure to disclose a material personal interest according to s191(4) does not invalidate a resolution by the directors at first instance. It has been held that the threshold for determining whether an interest is material is quite low however this contrasts with Magellan v Mount King Mining NL where the Western Australian Supreme Court stated that the nature of the interest ``should have the capacity to influence the vote of the particular director upon the decision to be made, bearing in mind that the conflict of interest must be of a real or substantial kind''.

Therefore it is considered appropriate to declare even minor conflicts of interest where there is a potential for conflict so as to err on the side of caution.

s192 of the Act provides that a director may give other directors standing notice about an interest. The notice may be given at any time and whether or not the matter relates to the affairs of the Company at the time the notice is given.

This is worth reading and taking note if you are a Board Director........

Yeah AHPRA coming to the party; Good News;

After some frustrated phone calls to the College and a few letters to AHPRA it is good to see that AHPRA are listening and things are becoming easier; it pays to voice your opinion and it is even better when the other party comes to the table; well done to the ACM (Barb Vernon EO) for going in to bat for us and well done to AHPRA for considering the issues on the table and resolving them....... here is some of the good news;

I have just had confirmation from AHPRA that: (via the ACM)

1. MPR certificate will from now on be taken as sufficient evidence of
c. Current competence to provide pregnancy, labour, birth and post natal
care to women and their infants;
d. Successful completion of an approved professional practice review
program for midwives working across the continuum of midwifery care;

2. Professional references can now be provided by a midwifery colleague. The requirement for a reference from a ‘member of the multidisciplinary team’ (obstetrician) has been dropped

3. References do not need to address every element of the ANMC competency standards. They are able to be a general third party statement of support for your application from a midwifery colleague or manager

As for my application I am happy to announce that;

AHPRA has also agreed that they would be happy for ACM to reissue MPR certificates to existing applicants with wording that confirms their review was in relation to their competence across the full scope of midwifery practice. I am still waiting on a response to my questions relating the 3 year / 5 year requirement on the application form & the criteria for certifying documents;

Fantastic; now all I have to wait for is that the college will send a certified copy directly to AHPRA on my behalf, (which won't take long) and I will get the amended original for my midplus folder to replace the current one.... then I will get my notation; yeah!

Step one; MPR completed;
Step two: Eligibility completed: next Medicare!

Keep watching this space............

Check out the Determination for Medicare Provider Numbers

Please have a look at the Health Insurance (Midwife and Nurse Practitioner)Determination 2010Health Insurance Act 1973
I, NICOLA ROXON, Minister for Health and Ageing, make this Determination under
section 3C of the Health Insurance Act 1973.
Dated 4 October 2010

This determination comes into force 1 November; Midwifery services and fees range from $31.10 - $724.00 and providing a service fee for 6 weeks postnatal period...

We have to remember that this does not cover homebirth and we need to continue to put pressure on the government to pass this midwifery services fee onto women who choose to have a homebirth.....

Curtin Graduation: Nursing and Midwifery: 2010

That time of year again, celebrating the graduation of a new batch of Nurses and Midwives.... a few more people with PhD's and others with Masters,Graduate Diploma's, Graduate Certificates etc; great achievements, congratulations to all. I particularly enjoy the pomp and ceremony of graduation... the excitement of the graduates, their proud parents, partners, family... it is just wonderful... As a lecturer I feel a sense of achievement and warmth....anticipating a fantastic career for these budding graduates...taking both professions forward...our future leaders; It was good to see a baby in the audience......as its mother received her award....


These are some of the nursing class of 2010, I had the pleasure of teaching these nursing students.....and am looking forward to watching their careers grow and they becoming our future leaders;



The student response was presented by Corrina Farr, Postgraduate Diploma (Midwifery)who also won the Australian College of Midwives Membership Award:
The Western Australian Nurse Memorial Charitable Trust Award was won by Debra Pallier:
In total there were 12 presentations for prizes and awards.... many excited and happy recipients.


It was good to see Jenny graduate.... her PhD was 10yrs in the making....when I listened to her one minute speech, I was happy that I have decided to do something other than my PhD; her advice to the audience was "if you are going to embark on your PhD, please make sure you are young enough to enjoy the benefits of completing it. I left my run to late, if I was to advise you about anything that would be it...start it when you are younger".

Good luck to all the graduates may your career be fulfilling and may you always remember to treat your clients with the same respect and care that you would expect for yourself.

Radio National's Life Matters program, after the 9am news.

Liz Wilkes and Ted Weaver are sheduled to debate the "collaborative arrangements" problem tomorrow/Thursday morning, on Radio National's Life Matters program, after the 9am news.

Please listen in and take any opportunity to make comment.

For those who'd like to hear the online audio, download the podcast, or make comment, the website is:
http://www.abc.net.au/rn/lifematters/

Homebirth a matter of choice for Australian women

See this media release by the Greens

Australian Greens Health spokesperson, Senator Rachel Siewert has today announced the Greens’ policy for a National Homebirth reform package to provide women with greater choice at the time of their baby’s birth.

“We believe the choice to experience a safe and supported low-risk homebirth should be available in Australia,” Senator Siewert said today.
“The Australian Greens believe that women should have a range of birthing choices, including homebirths, in order to provide the best outcome for mother and child,” Senator Siewert said.

“There is no reason why homebirths should not be offered to women at low risk of complications, saying it may confer considerable benefits to them and their families,” said Senator Siewert.

“There is considerable international evidence showing that birthing at home increases a woman's likelihood of a birth that is satisfying and safe, with positive health implications for mother and baby alike.

“Our maternity care system should support parents to make informed choices and enable a smooth and timely transition to higher levels of care as the need arises.

“This allows for important aspects of birthing safety to be covered, providing women who wish to experience a homebirth the best of both worlds.

“We need to ensure we have a good understanding of the medical risk factors associated with childbirth and that women making this important choice have access to the best clinical care.

“At the same time we need to appreciate the impacts of stress on mother and child to ensure we look at the social and emotional factors that enable us to provide a safe and supportive
“Not only do the Greens think a more collaborative and integrated model of practice is possible – it is absolutely necessary,” concluded Senator Siewert.

Under the Australian Greens' proposal a National Homebirth Reform Plan would provide for:

a clear policy framework for midwifery care that defines the ‘collaborative’ relationship between midwifes and doctors
best practice within homebirth services built on fully supportive organisations' systems and structures
a shared philosophy that fosters a service culture of reciprocal valuing of all birth environments
comprehensive involvement by local multidisciplinary teams and users to underpin homebirth practices within a clinical governance framework
responsible and responsive practices maintained by effective clinical decision making

Insurance provision
An insurance product covering homebirth under the midwives’ own responsibility must be developed by the insurance industry or initiated by the Federal Government once the timeframe for the exemption for eligibility has passed.

ref:http://rachel-siewert.greensmps.org.au/

Collaborative Arrangements – What can you do?

Australian College of Midwives - E-Bulletin

Collaborative Arrangements – What can you do?

Dear Members and Consumers

As you would be aware a key component of the National Maternity Reform Package implemented by the current government was to give midwives and the women they care for access to Medicare rebates and to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). In September this year midwives will be able to begin applying for a Medicare provide number in preparation for the implementation of the legislated reforms on 1st November.

The most recent developments around the recent release of the Determination (or secondary regulations) that now define the detail of collaborative arrangements are concerning and will restrict the way midwives will be able to practice. The Determination was signed into law by the Governor General on 16th July and released just prior to the announcement of the election.

Despite the government¹s stated intention in March this year of not wanting to provide a right of veto over another health professional¹s practice it would appear that the Determination does just that.

You can view a copy of the determination by clinking on the link below http://www.comlaw.gov.au/ComLaw/Legislation/LegislativeInstrument1.nsf/all/whatsnew/6A0EF93573665149CA257762000BBDEE?OpenDocument

So what can you do about this?
We are encouraging you to phone, write, email or talk to your local federal member – especially when they are out campaigning -

• Let them know you live in their electorate and what your address is (they need this to prove you live there).

• Tell them you are very concerned that the recent determination - the National Health (Collaboration Arrangements for Midwives) Determination 2010 - will enable the medical profession to have veto over midwifery practice and prevent the success of the maternity reforms.

• Plan local activities to let all the candidates in your electorate know how you feel and involve consumers and local media if possible.

• You can also ring Nicola Roxon on 02 627777220 and let her know what you think!
You can find details of your electoral office on the following link http://apps.aec.gov.au/esearch/

Associate Professor Hannah Dahlen
President, Australian College of Midwives

Insurance for Midwives:

There are several choices for midwives in relation to insurance. If you work in a hospital you will be covered by the hospital vicarious liability, you will however need to find out what that insurance covers:

To practice as a private practice or independent midwife you will need some form of insurance in order to be registered with the Nurses and Midwives Board of Australia. Currently these are your choices:

Option 1
The Government Insurance:
MIGA (Medical Insurance Group of Australia) has won the contract to offer midwives professional indemnity insurance, with support by the Commonwealth under the Midwife Professional Indemnity (Commonwealth Contribution) Scheme Act 2010 and the Midwife Professional Indemnity (Run-off Cover Support Payment) Act 2010. See blog 14 June
MIGA have a News Flash in relation to collaborative arrangements click here to see more....
Further information about Collaborative requirements appears below.

I am interested in securing formal Collaborative Arrangements, but I don't think I can obtain an obstetrician's or a hospital's agreement to collaborate with me before 1 July. Can I still be covered by the MIGA insurance?
Yes. If you are unable to obtain a Collaborative Arrangement for a particular woman, you will still be covered if you communicate a maternity care plan for that woman to a public hospital that provides obstetric services.

Option 2
Vero insurance policy for antenatal and postnatal care only - the agents for this will be Mediprotect http://www.mediprotect.com.au/
The policy will cover activities such as, the provision care and education services, but will exclude birthing. Midwives will be able to choose between two categories for their activities.
The insurance will cost between $1800 - $3010.00 ( cover will be from $1,000,000 - $5,000,000
Information about the Vero policy can be obtained from the Mediprotect website or by phoning Mediprotect on 07 3426 0440.

To be eligible for this cover, practitioners need only be registered as a ‘practising midwife’ with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia.

Option 3
The ANF is contemplating an insurance option this is still to be confirmed, the best thing to do is to check with your local office....

Watch this space for more information......
Remember there is no insurance cover for Homebirth;

Cheers Pauline

ref for cartoon: www.getmilked.com/.../ThankYouInsuranceMan.html

Great You Tube video.... watch this.....

"Madre De Muchos" - "Mother Of Many", by Emma Lazenby
great view...let me know what you think

Cheers Pauline

Diversity: Midwifery Celebrations for IMD

The new ACM (WA Branch) education committee did well with the recent celebrations for International Midwives Day; it was a great success, thank you team. Attendance was good there were about 60 participants and UWA is always a great venue, with superb food. It is always good to see a good turnout of midwifery students, well done.
Our President Tracy Martin opened the day with words of encouragement, her message was about remembering the grass roots of midwifery and to recall why we became midwives. In these times of change we need to remain grounded and stay focused and women focused.

Some of our Postgrade and undergraduate student midwives:

Beth O’Neil who is an accomplished singer, also one of our inaugural Bachelor of Midwifery third year students conducted the next session. Beth said “I love singing, but I am not going to sing to you, I am going to teach you how to sing so we can all sing together” brilliant idea….although I have to say I love hearing Beth sing….she is just magnificent…. However she organized a noisy group of midwives into a chorus of singers…. It was such fun and I had forgotten how well for the soul singing is… so thank you Beth for a job well done…… a most enjoyable session.

Time for a cuppa and a chat:

Next I gave a review of the current political status, National Registration, Bill C and the current position in WA, which is that it has not yet been passed which may result in us not going forward with the other states. Points of note from the National meeting in Canberra were; ACM national membership has increased and WA has a 15% increase, as well as a strong student membership; Online education and face to face teaching will continue and needs to include packages to assist the transition for midwives to eligible midwife; learning packages to include business management for Midwifery Group Practices; indemnity insurance will be provided by the college and will be cheaper for members; lobbying and submissions;

Janice Butt gave a thought provoking presentation about her recent trip to Tanzania, where they have 100 births a day and one woman dies every minute. She also reminded us how we are not meeting The Millennium Goals.……
What are the millennium goals check out this link

Goals 4 Reduce Child Mortality & Goal 5 Improve Maternal Health are the ones that need urgent attention.

Shelly and Karen presented the ACM MidPLUS and Midwifery Practice Review (MPR) made easy..... well they certainly made it look easy...how to navigate the requirements for National Registration by investing in MidPLUS and if you are looking at becoming an eligible midwife you will have to consider doing your MPR.

We then had a rather sobering presentation about refugee women from Afghanistan, and how hard the transition can be from leaving their homeland……the expectation to assimilate to something so foreign to these women…..and how vastly different cultural lifestyles can be…..these sessions are invaluable in helping midwives understand different ways of being…..undoubtedly food for thought.

This was then followed by Sadie’s talk, about drugs and alcohol in pregnancy……addictive listening, her statistics astounded me…. I am aware of the problems but certainly not the extent and across all social boundaries. Sadie also discussed life in prison for women, and pregnant women get no better treatment….. In fact the word treatment is an underestimation of the lack of care that is afforded these women, still human beings; again I was totally horrified that this type of lack of care is so prolific in the twenty-first century, that because the woman is pregnant she is not given or even considered to be worthy of consideration…… well done for bringing this to light and trying to do something about it…..to all that fight these types of inhumane injustice keep up the good work and let the world know what is happening…….. Great work Sadie and team……

The official day ended with a session on Tai Chi….. not my cup of tea… but most people joined in and looked as if they enjoyed it….. For me I took some time out and sat reflecting on the sessions at the river…
The program was as diverse as was the title….. my thoughts were that it was a thought provoking day, looking at what a diverse population we have and how our care needs to reflect diversity, compassion, understanding and tolerance. It also reminded me of how fortunate we are in Australia to have such wonderful maternity care (except if you are in prison)…. Even though it needs fine tuning to cater for the needs all women and that means Homebirth & Midwifery led Care for those who choose it.

The day came to a close with a well earned sundowner…. This is a wonderful time to network and reflect on the amazing day; Happy International Day of the Midwife.

Our new Merchandise


Cheers Pauline Costins

Farewell to Jill Banks....

We all make decisions to move on for one reason or another, this is our Farewell Jill Banks, our Publicity and Fundraising Officer for the ACM WA... we will sadly miss Jill, as she begins her new adventure with her partner interstate.... it is our sad loss and their gain....

I first in-counted Jill when I went down to the South West for a teaching session and met the manger who was Jill, as we talked we discovered we had a mutual friend... i had not long returned from working in the UK with the mutual friends.... it really is a small world.....our paths continued to cross and when Jill moved to Perth our friendship grew through our involvement with the college.....I will sadly miss you Jill, a great friend, colleague and manager all rolled into one fantastic woman.... and a Northern Woman (UK)at that.....straight to the point, an excellent clinician, with a heart of gold.... oh, not to mention that terrible habit that you have.... "the one that can not be mentioned"...lol... wishing you all the best in your new phase of your life and keep in touch..... Pauline Costins

Just wanted to let you know Jill, that Queensland's gain is definitely WA's most grievous loss. I will miss those dulcet tones on the other end of the phone, and the women of the South have certainly lost a huge ally in their interpartum hours! Still, I hope those Northern women appreciate what is coming to them, and I pray you can achieve even more than you have done in Fremantle.

Wishing you love, light and laughter, Penny Hardy

Dear Jill
You will be sadly missed as a friend and colleague. My earliest memory of you is going 'down the road' from Port Hedland to Point Samson for fish & chips when I thought I may never get back to Perth! I enjoyed sharing your Masters journey with you and have been very impressed by your clinical leadership especially at Kaleeya. It is a real pleasure to work with a Manager who is so supportive of women, students and midwives. You are a 'Yes - can do' person with a great personality. Thanks for all that you do for midwifery - Queensland is gaining a fantastic recruit. Take care and keep in touch - do they have wine in Queensland?
Love Janice Butt


Ah Jill, you will be missed! Dependable, fun, hard-working and always the capacity to surprise (Pardon me!)Laura.

Cheers....Pauline

International Midwives Day was first Celebrated on May 5, 1991.

This site is well worth having a look at A Celebration of Women..... Find out who is celebrating IMD.... and how...I just love this picture.....

Update on scheduled medicines..... midwifery

For your information........

On 1 April 2010 The Australian Health Workforce Ministerial Council announced its approval of national health practitioner registration standards in regards to the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme for the Health Professions. The approval includes standards for scheduled medicines endorsements for suitably qualified and rural and isolated practice registered nurses (RNs). The proposed scheduled medicines endorsements for midwives, provided by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (the Board), has been delayed "pending the outcome of further priority discussions between the Board, and Commonwealth, State and Territory officials." For more information, read the 1 April 2010 Communique – Health Ministers Announce Approval of National Health Practitioner Registration Standards.

Have your say on what the 'Eligible Midwife' will be

Well here it is the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia has released a draft of what 'eligible midwife' may look like.....

The Key points are as follows;
1. Current general registration as a midwife in Australia with no restrictions on practice - having as it does all the requirements for eligibility for registration under the Act.

2. Practice for at least three years across the continuum of midwifery care (ante-natal care, intrapartum care and post-partum care of women and their infants), within the previous 5 years.

3. participation in an additional 20 hours per year of continuing professional development relevant to the continuum of midwifery care.

4. successful completion of a NMBA approved professional midwifery practice review program for midwives working across the continuum of midwifery care.

5. compliance with the collaboration requirements for eligible midwives- that is the requirements for midwives to work collaboratively with other health professionals as outlined in regulation and national health policy instruments.

6. successful completion of an accredited and approved program of study determined by the Board to develop midwives' knowledge and skills in prescribing, or a program that is substantially equivalent to such an approved program of study (at midwifery post graduate level and designed around the flour components of prescribing - information gathering, clinical decision making, generation of medication order and monitoring the review.

As the model of care for eligible midwives is across the continuum of maternity care, eligibility is contingent upon all requirements being met..... therefore once a midwife has been endorsed as an eligible midwife; and authorised and provided with the necessary provider number by Medicare Australia: READ the full document Guidelines & Assessment framework for the recognition & endorsement of eligible midwives

2 Endorsement to practice as an eligible midwife (to read the full document click the hyperlink)

To be entitled to endorsement under section 98 of the National Law an applicant wishing to be identified as an eligible midwife must be able to meet all the requirements including being a currently registered midwife in Australia; being able to demonstrate through professional review of practice at least 3 years experience across the continuum of midwifery care within the 5 year period preceding the application, comply with the collaboration requirements for eligible midwives; and have an approved qualification to administer, obtain, possess, prescribe and supply scheduled medicines required for practice across that
continuum of midwifery care.

Wording to appear on the register
Endorsed as an eligible midwife working across the continuum of midwifery care and qualified to provide the associated services, order diagnostic investigations and administer, obtain, possess, prescribe and supply schedule 2,3,4 & 8 medicines in
accordance with relevant State and Territory legislation, required for midwifery practice.

If you wish to provide comments on this paper, please lodge a written submission in electronic form by email to natboards@dhs.vic.gov.au by close of business on Wednesday 27 April 2010.

PLEASE FORWARD COMMENTS....if you wish please respond to the blog and I will collate the comments for a submission, but you need to add your name to the comments, otherwise they will not be included....... Now is the time to have your say..... get women, mothers, consumers....anyone who is interested in birthing in Australia needs to have a say....this is the future of Homebirth and Private Practice in Australia.....there is a short consulation period so please do it now!

Cheers Pauline