Dear list
Behind the current midwife insurance crisis is Guild's withdrawal from the malpractice arena. All Australian insurance brokers and underwriting companies have reassessed their business ventures since the HIH collapse and the reality is that there are not enough insured midwives for any of them to make a profit.
Insurance companies will not consider insuring midwives unless there are significant numbers. All Australian companies approached by ASIM on behalf of it's members stated that before any malpractice deal can be firmed up they must be guaranteed numbers from the College (total College membership approx 3000) for there to be any chance of making the cost of PI premiums realistic.
Currently there are only two interested insurers; MCA (looking to
find underwriters in the USA) and JUA (looking for backing in the UK).
Both have stated the situation looks bleak, and they will only attract
underwriters if the College numbers are included. This means the
College will need to make PI insurance a necessary part of it's
membership fees so that all Australian midwives will share costs and
reduce PI premiums.
NUMBERS OF IPMs CURRENTLY INSURED
A recent ASIM survey of their members revealed about half of the
membership was insured with Guild; two of it's members have been
without insurance since their policy expired and the rest will
gradually become uninsured as their policies expire.
A small proportion of ASIM midwives are insured with ANF Victoria
and so far they are unaffected.
There were five members who carried no professional insurance
whatsoever.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN INSURANCE RUNS OUT?
For those midwives no longer insured, there are two alternatives;
* cease their private clinical practise ...
not in their clients interest at all, but this act
may goad clients into complaining to the College, the
media, their state health departments, their local
state and federal member, or all of these.
* continue to practise without PI insurance
...
this will negate College accreditation as well as
visiting/admitting rights to accrediting hospitals
and therefore reduce women's choice of birth venues
to homebirth only.
It could be argued that midwives are less likely to be sued if
uninsured. If going down this pathway midwives must inform their
clients that they are uninsured and make sure they always make written
birth plans that list all the possibilities related to every aspect of
their proposed care plan. It is also prudent for the midwife to have
all their assets in trust.
If an IPM always practises a reasonable midwife would do in any
situation then they are unlikely to be a victim of a malpractice suit,
however, the person who ultimately suffers under such circumstances is
the woman who has a damaged baby and little hope of any financial
assistance for the rest of her baby's life.
WHAT TO DO?
The solution to the PI crisis will be through the collective
effort of women and midwives working together. All midwives whether
employed or self-employed should draft a letter for their patients,
clients to copy (hand written letters are most effective when it comes
to politicians) and send them off post-haste.
WRITE LETTERS (NOW, WHILE FEDERAL ELECTION IS LOOMING)
Toni Cannard's suggestions are good ones.
All consumer groups, individual women and midwives can write
letters.
Address them to leaders of each political party, the Federal
Minister for Health, each State Minister for Health, their local
Federal and State Politician, Women's Advisory Committees, Prue Gower,
the ACCC etc.
Emphasise the value of midwifery care to women, safe, satisfying
outcomes etc.
Quote WHO statements that midwives are the preferred
carers for healthy pregnant women. Quote Marjory Tew for women being
safer with midwives and better outcomes outside of hospital than
within it. Quote the recent Senate inquiriy in Chilbirth practices in
Australia, quote the 1990s Ministerial Taskforce investigations into
maternity services and the recommendations that more midwifery models
of care be introduced and evaluations from Australian midwifery
community programs.
Stress how this withdrawal of PI insurance will create a
LACK OF the MIDWIFERY BIRTH CHOICE for women.
Lack of appropriate insurance will also disrupt the progress of
accrediting midwives with visiting/admitting rights to their local
hospital, the development of midwifery case-load models within the
hospitals etc...
Lack of appropriate insurance will prevent women having the
choice of their own midwife (or at least a midwife known to
them).
Emphasise that SATISFACTORY BIRTH EXPERIENCES for women
within midwifery models of care WILL CEASE TO EXIST unless
satisfactory insurance that protects both women and midwives is in
place.
REQUEST FAST-TRACKING OF STRUCTURED GOVERNMENT
SETTLEMENTS
Ask that structured government insurance settlements be put in
place NOW!
Women deserve to be compensated through public insurance if they
are the victim of midwifery negligence (or bad outcomes from
encounters with any health professionals for that matter).
If you have any incomplete petition forms lying around ...RETURN
YOUR MATERNITY COALITION PETITIONS QUICKLY. Those signatures will be
invaluable for MC to attach to their letters.
Good luck with the letter writing today.
If you haven't the time for a letter, telephone your local
polititian and arrange an appointment.
Call the College and see if you can help with their endeavours to
promote and enhance the public image of the midwife.
By for now, I just have to get an e-mail off to our state
Minister for Health on this one.
Jan
PS Ignore my previous message ... it was incomplete and zapped
off by mistake.
--
__________________________________________________________________________
Jan Robinson
Phone/fax: 011+ 61+
2+ 9546 4350
Independent Midwife Practitioner
e-mail:
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
8 Robin Crescent
www:
midwiferyeducation.com.au
South Hurstville NSW 2221
National
Coordinator, ASIM
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
Jan Robinson
Independent Midwife Practitioner
8 Robin Crescent
South Hurstville NSW 2221
__________________________________________________________________________
