Here's my hand up - Yes, we do all need to work on this one.
Sally wrote;
<i agree it would be very good for ozmidwifery to submit a response to th=
e
inquiry, and I am happy to co-ordinate responses on behalf of ozmid.
Everybody's contribution would have to reach me by the 3rd August and I
will put them together. Doesn't matter how small the offfering is......it
all counts...just remember to reference work submitted>
I (JJ) am preparing a submission with the Executive of ACMI Vic Branch, a=
nd
it will be quite comprehensive. A lot of what we have prepared for the
recent round of State reviews under the Competition Policy Agreement also
applies to this inquiry.
The notes to assist in the preparation of submissions tell us that the
submission:
may be a letter, or a substantial paper
may contain facts, opinions, arguments and recommendations.
may cover all points raised by the committee, or selected ones.
where possible should be typed on A4 paper. If written, should be
legible (!)
If there are parts of a submission that the author would prefer not b=
e
made public, this can be kept confidential, and there are protections of
parliamentary privilege. (If you need this I suggest you check details)
authors may be asked to give oral evidence before a committee.
A couple of points that someone may be able to shed light on:
(i) the adequacy of information provided to expectant mothers and their
families in relation to the choices for safe practice available to them; =
and
Is there anyone out there (esp consumers) who has tried to get informatio=
n?
A letter about this would be very useful. Anyone in Vic can send it to m=
e.
I understand that it's easier to get info from the NSW Midwives Data
Collection than it is in Vic. The Vic Perinatal Data Collection Unit sen=
ds
the individual statistical reports to the hospitals (hospital profiles), =
but
doesn't give the details to other inquirers. It seems that most of the
hospitals aren't keen to give out their information. Homebirth is
considered a 'hospital' for the purposes of data collection, and we
independent midwives receive a copy of the homebirth statistics. To date
this has only covered babies born at home, not those who planned homebirt=
h
and transferred to hospital. However that information will be available =
in
the next report, as it is now being collected. what happens in other
States? If someone from each State could respond to the list, I will
include it in our submission for comparison. Thanks
(j) the impact of the new Medicare rebate provided for complex births,
including the use of the term =91qualified and unqualified neonates=92 fo=
r
funding purposes, and the impact that this has had on improved patient ca=
re
and reduction of average gap payments.
Does anyone have evidence of births becoming 'complex' since this rebate
came in? Has anyone been able to look at statistics before and after?
Babies in some hospitals get their own UR number, for funding purposes,
whereas others are with the mother unless they are 'qualified'. Can anyo=
ne
provide any evidence or information on this?
I believe we have an opportunity right now to effect lasting change. Let=
's
all give it our best shot. We are building on the good work of many who
have laboured on these matters in previous years, some of whom are burnt
out, or have been sidelined by restrictive and anti-competitive systems.
sincerely
Joy Johnston
-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of Sally Tracy
Sent: Tuesday, 13 July 1999 19:44
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Re: senate inquiry
Cathy and Nigel
i agree it would be very good for ozmidwifery to submit a response to
the inquiry, and I am happy to co-ordinate responses on behalf of ozmid.
Everybody's contribution would have to reach me by the 3rd August and I
will put them together. Doesn't matter how small the offfering is......it
all counts...just remember to reference work submitted.
It would also be useful for peole to offer on the line what area they
are proposing to work on and 'advertise' for help!
At the moment i am encourageing every mother who has the energy to
write, addressing parts "e" and "i". Also working on a few of the others.
There are lots of organisations presenting submissions.....and every =
bit
counts ...
enclosing the terms of reference again for those who inadvertently
deleted them!
sally t
Senate Community Affairs References Committee
INQUIRY INTO CHILDBIRTH PROCEDURES
The Senate has referred the following matter to the Senate
Community Affairs References Committee for inquiry and report by 30
December 1999.
Childbirth procedures, with particular reference to:
(a) the range and provision of antenatal care services to ascertain
whether
interventions can be minimised through the development of best practi=
ce
in antenatal screening standards;
(b) the variation in childbirth practices between different hospitals
and different states particularly with respect to the level of interventi=
ons
such as caesarean birth, episiotomy and epidural anaesthetics;
(c) the variation in such procedures between public and
private patients;
(d) any variations in clinical outcomes associated with the
variation in intervention
rates, including peri-natal and maternal mortality and morbidity
indicators;
(e) the best practices for safe and effective births being
demonstrated in particular
locations and models of care and the desirability of more general
application;
(f) early discharge programs, to ensure their appropriatene=
ss;
(g) the adequacy of access, choice, models of care and
clinical outcomes for rural
and remote Australians, for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander wom=
en
and for women of non-English speaking backgrounds;
(h) whether best practice guidelines are desirable, and, if so, how t=
hey
should be developed and implemented;
(i) the adequacy of information provided to expectant mothers and the=
ir
families in relation to the choices for safe practice available to them; =
and
(j) the impact of the new Medicare rebate provided for complex births=
,
including the use of the term =91qualified and unqualified neonates=92 fo=
r
funding purposes, and the impact that this has had on improved patient ca=
re
and reduction of average gap payments.
Written submissions are invited and should be addressed to:
The Secretary
Senate Community Affairs References Committee
Suite S1 59
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600
Closing date for the receipt of submissions is 6 August 1999.
For further details contact the Committee Secretary, Phone: (02)
6277 3515, Fax: (02) 6277 5829. E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]=
u
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
--
Sally Witten-Tracy
Research Midwife
Australian Midwifery Action Project
Emu Bottom
email [EMAIL PROTECTED]
--
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