Omnibus Health Practitioner Legislation In Australia
Will the Northern Territory be the first to get A MIDWIVES ACT ? Check out the following site, provide comments during the public consultation phase, and keep on lobbying ! The Ontario Midwives Act 1991 came about during a health practitioners legislation review very similar to this one. Seize the day ! http://www.nt.gov.au/nths/orgsupp/profboards/healthpracbill.shtml Regards Roz
Having A Baby (South Australia)
Dear All The South Australian Department of Human Services officially launched a new health promotion pamphlet last week entitled, "Having ABaby." This pamphlet endorses the option of midwife led care for women and their families, and homebirth in the list of 'places where you may choose to have your baby.' Subheadings include: Who can provide care for me and my baby ? Where can I have my baby ? What is important to me about the birth of my baby ? What are my rights and responsibilities ? How can I find out more ? The pamphlet encompasses definitions of various providers in pregnancy childbirth their roles, explanation re various settings, suggested questions of care providers, and a resource / phone list eg: Australian Breastfeeding Association, Australian College of Midwives Inc / SA, Birth Matters, CARES SA, Homebirth Network, Child Youth Health, Migrant Health Service, Nunkuwarrin Yunti, Parent Helpline, RACGP, RANZCOG, Womens Information Service. It has been printed in elevenlanguages, with culturally appropriate modification / illustration. (English, Chinese, Arabic, Bosnian, Serbian, Croation, Kurdish, Vietnamese, Cambodian [Khmer], Persian [Farsi], Turkish) The initiating vision, tenacity, resiliance perseverence of the consumers and consumer groups that contributed to seeing this project through to fruition has been an inspiring experience, and an affirmation that those commited to achieving change will effect it collectively. Copies of this pamphlet can be ordered from: Angela Princi Administration/Project Assistant Strategy Operations Service Statewide Division Dept of Human Services PO Box 287 Rundle Mall Adelaide SA 5000 Regards Roz Donnellan - Fernandez Self Employed Community Midwife (Adelaide)
Women And Birth Matters
Title: 29th May 2001 Roslyn Donnellan Fernandez 29th May 2001 Roslyn Donnellan Fernandez 7 Mulga Road Jenny Macklin HAWTHORNDENE 5051 Federal Shadow Health Minister ALP Dear Jenny WOMEN AND BIRTH MATTERS Please find enclosed some briefing materials on current maternity issues from groups such as: AMALG (Australian Midwives Act Lobby Group) Maternity Coalition (National Consumer Consortium) AMAP (Australian Midwifery Action Project) For your interest / information, I have also enclosed a recently published paper on my personal view and experience of midwifery practice in Australia. The woman and midwives of Australia are mobilising for change in the way maternity services are funded and organized in this country. The Federal Senate Inquiry Into Childbirth Procedures (Rocking The Cradle 1999) followed a decade of state and national reports recommending change in childbirth options for women in this country. These reports continue to gather dust on forgotten shelves, and outcomes and care options for indigenous women and babies remain a national disgrace. I would appreciate an outline of specific ALP initiatives, policy and action in relation to the issues of: * Reform to maternity funding that enables all Australian women access, equity and choice of midwifery led care in the public and private sectors; * Funding and legislative initiatives that address national midwifery education and labourforce requirements. (MIDWIFERY entails a discrete practice and is a profession recognized by the World Health Organization as providing the SAFEST, MOST COST EFFECTIVE CARE FOR THE MAJORITY of pregnant women and their babies. Inclusion and consideration of midwifery with nursing issues is confusing and inappropriate); * Childbirth outcomes, care options, and educational opportunities for persons of aboriginal and Torres Strait Island origin to undertake midwifery studies. Looking forward to your response and policy statements. Yours sincerely Roslyn Donnellan - Fernandez
Birth Rally / Lobbying / National Women's Organisations
Title: Good afternoon Good afternoon My name is Roz Donnellan Fernandez. I am a mother, and I vote. I have been a midwife and a birth activist for the past 8 years and I support womens choice in childbirth. As a self employed community midwife during this time I have provided continuity of midwifery care for many women and their families in South Australian homes, hospitals and community settings during pregnancy, birth and postnatally. I choose to work in this way because research shows that continuity of midwifery care is THE GOLD STANDARD, THE BLUE RIBBON STANDARD of care for ALL BIRTHING WOMEN AND THEIR BABIES. The World Health Organization states the midwife to be the safest, most cost effective provider for the majority of pregnant women and their babies, including assessment of risk status, and irregardless of place of birth. One of the few ways in which families can currently access continuity of midwife led care homebirth services is by contracting a self employed midwife. This occurs because successive governments in this state and this country have FAILED TO ACTION INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNIZED BEST PRACTICE IN MATERNITY CARE MIDWIFERY LED CARE, despite well over a decade of reports calling for major NATIONAL REFORM TO IMPLEMENT THESE SERVICES. Currently families pay from their own pockets to access midwifery led services. There is NO MEDICARE REBATE and private health insurance funds will not rebate midwives if professional indemnification arrangements are not in place. SO MUCH FOR CLOSING THE GAP ! Over the past 8 years, paying families in my solo midwifery practice have saved the public health system well in excess of $ 250, 000. This is a conservative estimate far in excess of my own renumeration. Last month the insurance company that managed indemnification for midwives nationally withdrew the option for them to renew their policies with two weeks notice. A replacement insurer has not been found. This action has left self employed midwives and the families they serve in crisis. It is an action that further diminishes Australian families birth options for midwife continuity of care, and an action that threatens to extinguish access to SAFE HOMEBIRTH. This is a national problem, as well as a problem for each state and territory. Last year the SA Department of Human Services provided a RECOMMENDATION AND ENDORSEMENT FOR MY MIDWIFERY PRACTICE IN ANY SOUTH AUSTRALIAN PUBLIC HOSPITAL subject to individual Board approvals. For midwives and nurses to access and utilize public hospital facilities it is a requirement that they carry appropriate professional indemnification. The Department and the Minister therefore have a SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY to ensure that professional indemnification arrangements are accessible to ALL MIDWIVES AND NURSES. One way to tackle this issue in SA would be to offer indemnity arrangements for self employed midwives through SGIC. Without appropriate arrangements there are two alternatives: * Self employed midwives cease their clinical practices, (as a criterion of accreditation with the National Australian College of Midwives Inc is that they carry such cover), OR, * The midwives continue to practice without accreditation, and without professional indemnity insurance. This means they will not be able to birth women in hospital, access essential services, and more importantly, THAT FAMILIES WILL NOT BE RECOMPENSED IN THE EVENT OF AN ADVERSE OUTCOME. MATERNITY CARE IN AUSTRALIA IS IN CRISIS. The Australian Institute of Health Welfare identified shortages of midwives in all Australian States Territories in 1998. The crisis in premiums for obstetric care has also resulted in many obstetricians and GPs withdrawing their services in this area. In 1999 the Senate Community Affairs Committee produced a report entitled Rocking The Cradle, recommending changes in childbirth that have been IGNORED BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AS NOT A FEDERAL RESPONSIBILITY! WHOSE RESPONSIBILITY THEN IS IT ? This issue is not about place of birth. If it was then on the evidence PI insurance should be lowest for those midwives attending women with uncomplicated pregnancys births at home. This issue is not about safety, or evidence based practice. If it was then the majority of both obstetricians and midwives would be salaried through the public sector and midwifery led care would be the gold standard and the norm for quality maternity provision in this state and country. This issue is not about responsible governance, or equity and access to health for all Australian families. If it was, successive governments would have implemented a no fault liability scheme years ago. New Zealand has had one for 30 years ! This issue, like so many others that involve the health well being of women children is about MONEY AND POWER. It is about every womens right in Australia to access equity in
Re: MIDWIVES AND CONSUMERS RALLY TODAY 1 p.m. PROFESSIONAL INDEMNITY INSURANCE
Dear All Have just had a telephone update from the Rally going on in Glenelg. Apparently has been HUGELY successful with lots of media, TV coverage consumer midwife interviews that are still happening: hopefully we may see something on the tele tonight. (Have attended three beautiful births over the past 4 days, amidst radio newspaper interviews; another tonight on Adelaide RPH with Sandra Kanck regarding the deliberations at todays Health Ministers Meeting: haven't yet heard any word on the deliberations, but no doubt will be informed in due course !) Adelaide has hadTWO SPECTACULAR DAYS of Vicki Chan's inspirational energy (I can hardly believe I was priveleged enough to attend both days, share dinner, and be present at these birthings, during what has been a most remarkable week !) We all thank Vicki for sharing so generously of her wisdom, courage, experience anddeeply moving creative visual presentations. Hopefully Rally No 2. being held this Friday 3'rd in Hindmarsh Square, Adelaide, at 12 midday outside the Department of Human Serviceswill send a loud clear message to the government that WOMEN WANT BETTER BIRTH CHOICES AND PUBLICLY FUNDED CONTINUITY OF MIDWIFERY LED CARE IN THE HOME, HOSPITAL AND COMMUNITY. Keep going everybody. This is just the start .. Regards Roz Donnellan - Fernandez Self Employed Community Midwife - Original Message - From: Australian College of Midwives Incorporated To: ozmidwifery Sent: Wednesday, August 01, 2001 11:59 AM Subject: MIDWIVES AND CONSUMERS RALLY TODAY 1 p.m. PROFESSIONAL INDEMNITY INSURANCE Hello Midwives andConsumers. Health Ministers are meeting in Adelaide today. There will be a rally outside the Stamford Grand Hotel, Glenelg, ADelaide, today at 1 p.m. This will be led by Ms. Meg Lees and Ms. Sandra Kanck of the Democrats who have supported midwives and will be trying to attract the attention of the Ministers for Health, who are meeting there today. Ms. Lees has been on the ABC Radio this morning, discussing the Professional Indemnity Insurance for midwives, and I have just been informed by MS. Kanck's office that this rally will be on. All welcome to join the group. I invite everyone to go along if you can. We will be interested in any feedback. BEst wishes, Alana Street, RM FACM,Executive Officer,Australian College of Midwives Incorporated,1st. Floor, 3 Bowen Crescent,Melbourne, 3000.Tel: 03 98045071 or 1300 360480Fax: 03 98 661370Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: URGENT Lobbying re insurance - health ministers Meeting
Dear Barb all The Minister For Human Services in SA has apparently requested preparation of a briefing paper from the Department re the midwifery indemnity issue, so I agree it is timely worthwhile to pursue this course with a view to getting it on the agenda at the National Health Ministers meeting on August 1'st. Regards Roz Donnellan - Fernandez Self Employed Community Midwife (Adelaide, South Australia) - Original Message - From: Vernon at Stringybark [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: ozmid [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, July 26, 2001 5:08 PM Subject: URGENT Lobbying re insurance - health ministers Meeting Dear List, State federal health ministers are meeting next Wed 1 August. Professional indemnity insrance for gps and obstetricians is on the agenda. If people in each State could lobby their Minister in the next few days we might succeed in getting the meeting to at least recognize that this issue needs to be extended to include midwives!! For some background read on. On tuesday 25 July, a group of us from the ACT Branch of Maternity Coalition met with the ACT Health Minister Michael Moore to lobby him re the midwifery insurance issue. The meeting was as expected but nonetheless disappointing. Moore was totally disinterested - claiming too much else to do - not a priority etc. Also said he did not see it as a government responsibility to provide women with choices re maternity care!!! We pointed out that they are responsible in this for 2 reasons: 1. they are currently forcing women to choose the high tech medical model by not providing or supporting alternatives (limited places at the 1 birth centre in Canberra and no support or visiiting rights for independent midwives) 2. by forcing women to take the medical route they are wasting taxpayers dollars since the highest numbers of admissions to hospitals are birthing women and the majority of women don't need to be there. Our arguments fell on deaf ears but we did learn one relevant thing - there is to be a meeting of the National Health Ministers Council next Wednesday (1August) and professional indemnity insurance for GPs and obstetricians is on the agenda!! We pushed for ACT Minister to include midwives under this agenda item with limited success. He would only promise to 'see if the opportunity arises'. If other state health ministers are primed on extending consideration of indemnity insurance from doctors to midwives then there might be some hope that this meeting could at least begin consideration of the insurance crisis in relation to midwives. I would be happy to provide anyone who is interested with a copy of the briefing paper Maternit Coalition ACT used for our meeting with the ACT Minister for Health. yours in activism, Barb Vernon -- This mailing list is sponsored by ACE Graphics. Visit http://www.acegraphics.com.au to subscribe or unsubscribe. -- This mailing list is sponsored by ACE Graphics. Visit http://www.acegraphics.com.au to subscribe or unsubscribe.
Fw: midwifery insurance
- Original Message - From: Larry Megan [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: ''Roz Donnellan-Fernandez'' [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, July 17, 2001 9:32 PM Subject: midwifery insurance Hi Roz, sent you a copy of my letter to Dean Brown. Phoned today and spoke to his liasion officer, had a bit of a chat and was told to put it in writing. The idiot told me to make contact with my GP for my future care. I told him I had a healthcarer, you. He thought I should be seeing a doctor to make hospital arrangements. I had the pleasure of telling him that I had birthed at home before, new the procedure and I had already made my backup booking. Anyway I think that we should get as many people as possible to write to Dean Brown appealing for his support. The more numbers, the greater the impact. I suggested to Jen that Homebirth Network should be contacting all its members to actively pledge support. If you can think of any other ways of annoying the minister then let me know. Also given SGIC a serve today regarding their ad. Apparently it was supposed to say something about hospital care. Rang the ACCC and he took the complaint seriously but there are a few issues re. health in advertising at the moment. Said if they run it again he would follow it up. Jen had better success with the insurance ombudsman, and he/she will be acting immediately on it. Jen can tell you more about it. So wev'e had some success today. The fights not over yet, silly people messing with pregnnat women, they should know better! Take care, love Megan.x Dear Hon Dean Brown, I wish to express my concern over the withdrawal of Guild Insurance from midwife Professional Indemnity Insurance. I am a mother of two, five months pregnant with my third child and planning on birthing at home with an Independent Midwife. I also am an active member in the consumer group Birth Matters and take into consideration how this effects other families and their choices in childbirth. To myself and my family the benefits of having an Independent midwife providing my HealthCare far outweigh the choices available to me through either the private or public hospital systems. I would like to point out to you the type of care that is given by an Independent midwife and how this both compares to hospital care and my feelings on how it effects me personally. - my appointments are in my own home. I do not have to work around my children's sleep times or find childcare. My appointments on average last at least 2 hours, allowing plenty of time to discuss any issues I have regarding my pregnancy. My understanding is that with an Obstetrician or the public birthing centres appointments are only allocated 15 mins or a double appointment is made if required. My children are involved with my midwife and enjoy helping her do the health checks on myself and the baby. They are being educated that birth is a normal process and treated as such. - My first baby was born at a public hospital and I used water as an effective method of pain relief, not requiring any analgesics. My second child was a planned birth at home and I spent quite a bit of time in a birthing pool. I went on to birth my baby in the water without any other pain relief and an excellent outcome for myself and baby. I intend on using water with this labour and to birth in water if appropriate at the time. Whilst this option is available to me in hospital, especially at a birthing centre, I am not guaranteed a room or that a bath will be available to me at the time of my labour. I may also have the problem of the midwife not being confident with a water birth and therefor risking the outcome. The Independent Midwife I have is supportive and competent in water birth and has admitting rights in our chosen back-up Hospital, should we need to transfer. - Birthing at home allows me to stay completely relaxed in my own environment and places less stress on my family. We are interested in having our other children present at the birth and for this situation they are certainly going to be more comfortable in their own home. Birthing women are not encouraged to come into hospital until their labour is well established. Often this is a time when a women needs to centre into herself and focus on the eminent birth of her child. I have absolutely no desire to be in a car whilst having strong contractions meant for birthing my baby. This transfer often slows a women's labour until she feels comfortable in her new surroundings. I see no point in extending labour any longer than need be and only a women who has birthed can truly share that knowledge. - The hours after my second child's birth was also extremely satisfying. There was no rush to clean us up and take down the baby's details and move us out. My baby was loved not treated. We all sat around in the comfort of our lounge whilst my midwife spent time looking at the placenta and explaining how it functions.
18'th July 2001 Roslyn Donnellan - Fernandez
Dear All Please find attached a letter sent to the SA Minister for Human Services today, requesting government action on accessible professional indemnification arrangements for self employed midwives. Regards Roz Donnellan - Fernandez Midwifery Indemnity.doc
Midwifery Insurance
Dear all This issue is not about place of birth. If it was, then on the evidence PI insurance should be lowest for those midwives attending women with uncomplicated pregnancy's births at home. This issue is not about safety, or evidence - based practice. If it was, the majority of both obstetricians and midwives would be salaried through the public sector and midwifery led care would be the gold standard and the norm for quality maternity provision in this country. This issue is not about responsible governance, or equity and access to "health for all Australian families." If it was, successive governments would have implemented a no fault liability scheme years ago. This issue, like so many others that involve the health well being of women children is about MONEY and POWER. At its basest level, it is about the continuing exploitation and colonisation of these bodies as financially lucrative market places. "Closing the gap" is a clear demonstration of further aggressive attempts to "sew up" many women's nonexistent "choice" in childbirth in this country. The metaphors and language are overwhelmingly explicit and self - explanatory. This issue is about basic human rights: it is about every woman's right in Australia to access and equity in choosing a midwife as her primary caregiver during pregnancy, birth, and after her baby is born. The insurance issue is providing a unique opportunity to send loud, clear messages into the community and the government with regard to: * introducing a national no fault liability scheme; * maternity funding reform that enables equity and access for all women to midwifery led care in the home, the hospital, and the community; * legislative review and amendment to facilitate appropriate regulation of the midwifery profession in this country; * a need for expansion of culturally appropriate birthing services and recognition of indigenous midwives; * the cessation of scandlous exploitation and inefficient allocation of taxpayers resources, that contribute to propping up systems perpetuating unnecessary and harmful interventions on mothers and baby's. This is a long, hard, wearying journey (a bit like many labours), but the integrity of what we are putting our energies into will sustain us. Never has there been a better time to drive the message home. Keep on going all you wonderful women, families, and midwives. There is ALWAYS a solution. Here is the Democrats News Release Regards Roz Donnellan - Fernandez Self Employed Community Midwife
