Hi All I have been "lurking" on the list for a few months now. As an Aussie midwife now residing in the UK and working in the NHS, I totally agree with Deb. The women I care for in the community are mostly the "sort" of women that would almost definitely have private insurance and have their babies in private hospitals if they lived in Australia, yet they all use the NHS. This is fortunate for those women who choose homebirth or "domino" birth who then receive continuity of midwifery care from their community midwife. Unfortunately the women who choose to deliver in the hospital are subject to the many interventions and "defensive" practise that I read about on the list as still happening in Australian hospitals. Women who choose c/s and go privately in this country will either change insurance company or pay for the procedure themselves. However I believe the best thing to come from this announcement is that it has thrown the fact that most c/s are not "necessary" out into the public domain. I am sure it will be one of the biggest subjects of discussion amongst pregnant couples and midwives in the coming weeks. I will certainly be using it to highlight "unnecessary interventions" in my parentcraft classes!
For those interested the article is available at this site. http://www.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30700-12158037,00.html Cheers Jenni -- This mailing list is sponsored by ACE Graphics. Visit <http://www.acegraphics.com.au> to subscribe or unsubscribe.
