AUSTRALIAN COLLEGE OF MIDWIVES
Midwifery Bulletin
1 June 2005
Only 8 more weeks to go till the....
International Confederation of Midwives Congress
'Midwifery: Pathways to Healthy Nations'
Brisbane, Qld 24-28 July 2005.
The Brisbane Congress is shaping up to be in a strong position to meet and
exceed expectations for ICM Congresses. The conference program
<http://www.midwives2005.com/program.shtml> has a rich diversity of
speakers from a host of countries around the world, as well as a jam
packed
agenda of social events and entertainment! And this will all take place
on
the riverside in the beautiful weather of Brisbane in July.
Don't miss out on this exciting opportunity to join with thousands of
other
midwives from around the world in celebrating midwifery, sharing knowledge
and experiences, meeting old friends from across the oceans, and making
new
ones.
REGISTER ON-LINE TODAY! To register go to <http://www.icm-congress.com>
www.icm-congress.com
College on the front foot defending midwives from AMA attack in Qld
Last Friday 27 May 2005, AMAQ President Dr David Malloy issued a press
<http://www.amaq.com.au/index.php?action=view&view=2913&pid=1450> release
attacking the care provided by midwives working in the birth centre of the
Royal Brisbane Women's hospital. State President Dr Jenny Gamble and her
colleagues from the Queensland Branch of the College of Midwives
immediately
mounted a public campaign to defend the professionalism of the midwives
involved and highlight that the AMA's claims were baseless.
Along with consumer groups, the College organised a public rally at short
notice on Saturday that attracted strong community support, as well as
support from the QNU. The College's response to the AMA's attack received
good media coverage in the Courier Mail on Saturday
<http://www.thecouriermail.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,15434495%255
E1702,00.html> and Sunday
<http://www.thesundaymail.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,15437523%255E
2765,00.html> , as well as on Queensland television news from all stations
on Saturday night and local ABC Radio. A number of newspapers in other
states and nationally also picked up the story over the weekend.
On Monday, the pressure on the AMA to withdraw its remarks continued with
a
<http://www.couriermail.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,15445710%255E31
02,00.html> Courier Mail article citing the College's concerns that Dr
Malloy may have breached patient confidentiality provisions in publicising
the care of an individual woman who gave birth in the birth centre last
week. Health Minister Gordon Nuttal also made supportive comments about
the
care provided by the midwives. That afternoon, the AMA gave a partial
apology (to women but not to midwives) for describing the birth centre as
'the killing fields' in another press
<http://www.amaq.com.au/index.php?action=view&view=2938&pid=1450>
conference.
This episode has highlighted the ongoing problem of lack of respect from
some individuals in the medical profession in Queensland for the expertise
and professionalism of midwives and for the choices that women make in
electing to receive one-to-one midwifery care. Notwithstanding the AMA's
back down under pressure, the College is taking its concerns about this
incident to senior figures in Queensland Health. The College is
continuing
to lobby for full implementation of the recommendations
<http://www.maternityservicesreviewqld.net.au/whatsnew.htm> of the review
undertaken by Dr Cherrell Hirst on the future of maternity services in
Queensland.
Council of Safety & Quality to fund midwifery project
In April 2005, the College developed a proposal for the Australian Council
of Safety and Quality in Health Care (ACSQHC) for the development of a
national program of Midwifery Practice Review. The ACSQHC was established
in 2000 by Australian Health Ministers to lead national efforts to improve
the safety and quality of health care provision in Australia (see
www.safetyandquality.org <http://www.safetyandquality.org/> )
Called 'Enhancing the Safety and Quality of Midwifery Care', the main
objective of the College's proposal is to develop a supportive mechanism
for
interested midwives to participate in a peer review process that
encourages
reflective practice and continuous improvement.
The College is pleased to advise that we recently learned that the Council
has approved funding for this project. The details of the project are
currently under negotiation. It is expected the project will commence in
June or July 2005 and be completed by mid 2006.
The Midwifery Practice Review program, as it has been called, will support
all midwives involved in caring for women and babies to identify,
prioritise
and act upon their individual professional development needs to maintain
their competence, confidence and capabilities in providing safe, high
quality care to women and their families, whatever their area of practice.
Productivity Commission Inquiry into Health Workforce
Hot on the trail of its completed review of National Competition Policy,
the
Productivity Commission has been asked by the Commonwealth Treasurer, the
Hon. Peter Costello MP to research and report on the Australian Health
Workforce. see the terms
<http://www.pc.gov.au/study/healthworkforce/issues/areasofinterest.html>
of
reference for this inquiry
In establishing the study, the Treasurer noted that, all governments have
demonstrated a willingness to collaborate in addressing important health
workforce issues which require a national approach. He said "The
commitment, care and professionalism of all those who contribute to our
health system is crucial to the successful delivery of services across the
nation, and all governments in Australia are naturally concerned about the
current issues facing the health workforce,"
The Productivity Commission will examine issues affecting the health
workforce including the supply of, and demand for, health professionals.
The study will look at issues such as: institutional, regulatory and other
factors across the health and education sectors affecting the supply of
health workforce professionals; the structure and distribution of the
health
workforce; and factors affecting the demand for services.
The study is to be completed by 28 February 2006. An issues paper
inviting
comment and submissions was due to be released at the end of May 2005, but
hasn't appeared on the Commissions website as yet.
This is a good opportunity for us to inform the Commission, and through
them
government Ministers about the reasons there is a national shortage of
midwives and the structural impediments to midwives being fully fledged
health professionals in Australia.
Comments are due by the end of July 2005. All interested parties are
encouraged to make submissions. The College will be preparing a
submission
and welcomes input from interested members. Please contact the National
Office if you'd like to contribute material to the College's submission.
Alternatively interested members are encouraged to send their own
submissions.
Memorandum of Co-operation
The College has continued in its efforts over recent months to build
collaborative relationships with key organisations whose activities have
bearing on midwives and midwifery. While negotiations with a number of
organisations are currently underway, 2 important organisations have
agreed
to sign Memorandum of Co-operation (MOC) with the College.
One of these is the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Council. The other
is
the Australian Nursing Federation.
The MOCs outline shared principles and areas where the organisations
agreed
to share information and expertise and/or to work together towards common
goals on issues of relevance to midwives and the women they care for.
Both
these memorandum are expected to be signed later this year during the ICM
Congress in Brisbane.
Midwives flagged as key players in securing the future of rural maternity
services
Following on from the 8th National Rural Health conference held in Alice
Springs in March, maternity services in rural areas has continued to
receive
attention. The Alliance has issued a draft policy paper on rural
maternity
services on which it is consulting widely. Anyone interested in viewing a
copy can contact the College National Office, or contact the NRHA
<http://www.ruralhealth.org.au/nrhapublic/Index.cfm?Category=ContactUs>
office directly.
The Rural Doctors Association of Australia (RDAA) and the Australian
Council
of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM), are gearing up to take ideas from
their symposium held before the NRHA conference to federal government
officials in a bid to have rural maternity services on the national health
agenda. focused on finding sustainable solutions to the pressures facing
rural maternity services.
The College is in active dialogue with both the NRHA and the RDAA and
others
on this issue.
Dr Barb Vernon
Executive Officer.
* * * * * * * * * *
The National Midwifery Consultation and Referral Guidelines
These guidelines have been developed to give every practicing midwife in
Australia an evidence-based set of guidelines to help with decision-making
about if, when and how to consult with doctors when caring for women
during
pregnancy, birth and early weeks of mothering. Click
<http://www.acmi.org.au/text/corporate_documents/ref_guidelines.htm> here
for info on how to order a copy ($19.95 plus $5 postage & handling inch
GST)
or to print your own copy
* * * * * * * * * *
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Midwives
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CANBERRA ACT 2601
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