Re: FW: Re: [ozmidwifery] Lobbying Update and Federal Election Campaign

[Mary Murphy]

Trish writes:
-"I also pointed him to WA and publicly funded homebirths with midwife
entry to hospitals"
Yes we in W.A. have a publicly funded homebirth option (restricted to 150
births/yr) but sadly no midwife entry to hospitals other than as a support
person.  There is an avenue for midwives to work casually at the FBC and
care for private clients there, but once transferred to the labour ward, we
are once again support people.  MM


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Re: FW: Re: [ozmidwifery] Lobbying Update and Federal Election Campaign

[Patricia David]

Dear Carol, apologies for causing offence, at that stage I wasn't aware his electorate 
contained Warragul, (have only voted in one federal election in Vic and didn't quite 
take in all the boundaries) but we did have a discussion about it and your initiatives 
and fabulous figures. I pointed him also to Wonthaggi as an exception and the fact 
that they have halved their CS rates to be around the 7-10% in one year. I also told 
him the bigger the hospital the more likely there was to have intervention, but not 
necessarily because of the increase in risk.

He was very interested and is planning on fact finding around this issue in his 
district. Your unit will be an example, and I expect he will make a visit. The next 
step is to get him interested in federal incentives to have your initiatives 
duplicated across his region. I also pointed him to WA and publicly funded homebirths 
with midwife entry to hospitals (way outside his electorate and a fantastic example of 
collaborative care, I reckon) and their great figures, NZ and Holland.

Trish

Carol Van Lochem <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:Trish,
> It is fabulous that you have been lobbying our local member, but I feel that it is 
> important that you give him the correct information lest you lose credibility.
> I work at West Gippsland Hospital in Warragul, which is in Christian Zara's 
> electorate and would like to point out the following:
> 
> "rural birthing using midwife and collaborative models of care (he was really stung 
> when I told him the best example of this was NOT in his electorate"
> I am a member of a team of 5 midwives who provide collaborative  and case load 
> care to women in this hospital. We recieved State funding for this back in May and 
> are in the early stages, providing collaborative care to women having VBAC, history 
> of difficult births, young mums and Koori women. We are being provided with 
> additional upskilling in the meantime, and will then commence our caseload stream 
> when competent in areas of cannulation, suturing etc. This is the model of care the 
> State Gov. wishes to implement across Vic.
> I have also been the KYM midwife for the past 2 years on the VBAC program, providing 
> 1-2-1 care throught the pregnancy continuum for these women.
> 
> "When I told him that every hospital in his electorate had double the HWO 
> recommended rate for LUSCS and instruments and were off the scale for other 
> interventions, he seemed knocked out."
> West Gippsland Hosital figures for 2002 were as follows:
> NVB   63%
> vacuum extraction 10%
> forceps 8%
> Emergency C/S  11%
> Elective C/S   7%
> Intact perineum    66%
> Perineal tears   29%
> Episiotomy    3.7%
> Episiotomy + tear 0.6%
> VBAC attempts   80%
> VBAC acheived    60%
> I think these figures speak for themselves. Some of them are State Benchmarks. Any 
> wonder the poor man "seemed knocked out"
> Yours in midwifery
> Carol Van Lochem
>  
> 
-- 
Trish David FACM
Senior Lecturer Midwifery and Nursing
Monash University School of Nursing
Gippsland Campus
Northways Road
Churchill 3842
(03) 5122 6839
0418 994033
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FW: Re: [ozmidwifery] Lobbying Update and Federal Election Campaign

[Carol Van Lochem]

Trish,
It is fabulous that you have been lobbying our local member, but I feel that it is important that you give him the correct information lest you lose credibility.
I work at West Gippsland Hospital in Warragul, which is in Christian Zara's electorate and would like to point out the following:

"rural birthing using midwife and collaborative models of care (he was really stung when I told him the best example of this was NOT in his electorate"
I am a member of a team of 5 midwives who provide collaborative  and case load care to women in this hospital. We recieved State funding for this back in May and are in the early stages, providing collaborative care to women having VBAC, history of difficult births, young mums and Koori women. We are being provided with additional upskilling in the meantime, and will then commence our caseload stream when competent in areas of cannulation, suturing etc. This is the model of care the State Gov. wishes to implement across Vic.
I have also been the KYM midwife for the past 2 years on the VBAC program, providing 1-2-1 care throught the pregnancy continuum for these women.

"When I told him that every hospital in his electorate had double the HWO recommended rate for LUSCS and instruments and were off the scale for other interventions, he seemed knocked out."
West Gippsland Hosital figures for 2002 were as follows:
NVB   63%
vacuum extraction 10%
forceps 8%
Emergency C/S  11%
Elective C/S   7%
Intact perineum    66%
Perineal tears   29%
Episiotomy    3.7%
Episiotomy + tear 0.6%
VBAC attempts   80%
VBAC acheived    60%
I think these figures speak for themselves. Some of them are State Benchmarks. Any wonder the poor man "seemed knocked out"
Yours in midwifery
Carol Van Lochem
 

 
>From: Patricia David <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> 
>Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] 
>To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] 
>Subject: Re: [ozmidwifery] Lobbying Update and Federal Election Campaign 
>Date: Wed, 14 Jul 2004 05:07:45 + 
> 
>Justine, this is great! I have had success with local Labor Member Christian Zara who put out a letter to all constituents asking us to call him with issues of concern, etc. Well he did open the door! 90 minutes after we started our phone call he has invited me to meet with him to discuss such issues of national policy as: rural birthing using midwife and collaborative models of care (he was really stung when I told him the best example of this was NOT in his electorate), professional indemnity (favouring a national govt insurance scheme for all health professionals with a three-tiered review process that is truly multi-disciplinary and non-adversarial), care of all babies and families who sustain birth injury, not just those who successfully sue, increased numbers of staff specialists with incentives for private obs/GPs who can prove true collaborative models in practice, extra funding and assistance for rural midwifery education aimed at clinical experie!
 nce support both in rural and metro centres (just like the med students get), equity between medical and nursing and midwifery in terms of support in education such as living away from home allowances, travel and meals, nationalisation of health so that we can enforce midwifery representation on M&M committees, as well as have a more direct reimbursement for midwifery services, more accurate measures of costing maternity services and perhaps a commitment to enforce some sort of reimbursement from private doctors who use midwifery services that are publicly paid for but which prop up their incomes! 
> 
>Poor guy got an earful, but he spoke beautifully about women giving birth, midwives assisting, babies being born, etc rather than being delivered, midwives doing deliveries... he even knew very well the difference between midwife and nurse! I complimented him on this and he said he was surrounded by empowered women who didn't want intervention. When I told him that every hospital in his electorate had double the HWO recommended rate for LUSCS and instruments and were off the scale for other interventions, he seemed knocked out. 
> 
>So, his office has contacted me twice looking to set up a meeting so he can gather advice on all these issues. If you know your stuff, they will listen. Go for it! Ring them, especially if they open the door for you to do so. Ring their office and make a meeting! Bring paperwork with you, even if it's just a summary of the main points you want to talk about with some suggestions for finding further information. 
> 
>Trish 
> 
>Justine Caines <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: 
> > 
> > Lobbying Update and Federal Election Campaign 
> > 
> > 
> > Dear All 
> > 
> > Sorry I have not updated you  all sooner.   
> > 
> > Last Tuesday I met with Deputy PM, Leader of the National Party and my local Federal member, John Anderson. 
> > 
> > I was cheeky and did pre-emptive media and before we actually met I had done 6 radio slots and he had done 2!!  This was then followed up with 2 further slots on Thur