Improvements to Maternity Care- submissions needed

[Maternity Coalition]

Since 2002 Australian maternity consumer groups have been working to reshape maternity services around the needs of women and families. The vision has been for every woman to have the option of receiving her primary maternity care in the community by a known midwife with access to medical care according to her need.
The discussion paper “Improving Maternity Services in Australia” was released by the Federal Government on 10th September and can be found here: http://www.health.gov.au/maternityservicesreview


The Federal Government is using this paper to direct changes in maternity services and is seeking responses from women and carers about how to improve local maternity care.


I am emailing you to encourage you to respond to the discussion paper and send a clear signal to the Government that the community is ready for reform. I have attached some information on how to respond from Maternity Coalition, which you may wish to forward amongst your networks.


Responses are due by the 31st October. We would encourage you to contact Federal members of Parliament and Senators with your views as well. Maternity Coalition would be very grateful if you were willing to share your submission with us.


As you know - birth matters. Your input matters too.

[Maternity Coalition]

Below is a letter drafted by Maternity Coalition aimed at helping those who'd like to write submissions. This is a great opportunity to tell the Government what you think- what you need and deserve in maternity care.



Federal Maternity Discussion Paper – Suggestions for writing a response

The discussion paper “Improving Maternity Services in Australia” was released by the Federal Government on 10th September and can be found here: http://www.health.gov.au/maternityservicesreview (http://www.health.gov.au/maternityservicesreview) The Federal Government is using this paper to direct changes in maternity services and is seeking responses from women and carers about how to improve local maternity care.


The Federal Government has recognised the difficulty women face in accessing one-to-one care with a known midwife. Obstacles to accessing this care include inequitable funding structures (Medicare), lack of access to professional indemnity insurance for midwives, lack of hospital visiting rights, lack of prescribing and referral rights. These issues are contentious and the Government will need a strong public mandate, i.e. your responses, to remove these obstacles and increase access to one-to-one continuity of care with a known midwife.

You can help by responding to the review. This is your opportunity to influence change in maternity services. Your response does not have to be formal, and can be a short email to say you support the idea of expanding midwives’ ability to care for women. The success of the review depends on community input, and the Government is encouraging all interested individuals and organisations to contribute.

In your response please mention how these issues could affect (or have affected) you personally. You may like to encourage the Government to provide opportunities for women to access a range of birth care options, including in public and private hospitals and at home. Indicate that you want action, not more talk and that women need to be involved in the implementation of change, otherwise it just won’t happen.

Some of the advantages for women if midwives played a greater role throughout pregnancy, birth and in post-natal care that you may want to discuss in your response are:
• increased access to maternity professionals, especially in rural and remote areas,
• reduced transport costs to access maternity services,
• increased likelihood of reducing the high rate of caesarean sections in Australia,
• increased access to antenatal and postnatal services in the community, and
• reduced levels of postnatal depression.


Have your voice heard by writing or emailing:
The Secretary, Maternity Services Review
MDP 94, GPO Box 9848
CANBERRA ACT 2600
email maternity.services.review@health.gov.au (maternity.services.review@health.gov.au)


Please consider copying your response to Maternity Coalition & your local Federal Member of Parliament. If you are not sure who your representative is, use the “find your electorate” tool at http://www.aph.gov.au/house/members/index.htm (http://www.aph.gov.au/house/members/index.htm) or phone the Australian Electoral Commission on 13 23 26.

Remember your response needs to be received by Friday 31 October 2008.


Birth matters. Your input matters too.

[moo72]

Having access to a midwife would make life easier during pregnancy.

I made the decision to have my own Doctor and paid through the nose. Each visit to the Doctor ensured my visit to the midwife first, and she always made time for me. I was never considered a number or 'just another appointment'. She listened to my concerns but she was never allowed to make decisions about my treatment. She picked up early on that I had depression but the Doctor over looked it, preferring to wait and see.

If I needed to speak with the midwife about a concern, I always had to explain my situation with the receptionist, as it was 'her duty to see if my concern was warranted to interrupt the midwife'.

How on earth is a receptionist going to have the knowledge of a midwife? How can she determine my needs? Why should I discuss my personal health concerns with an untrained individual?

The first pregnancy is a stressful time because everything is new, and you have no idea if what you are feeling is normal. I connected well with my midwife but could never see or speak with her when I needed to.

My time with the midwife ended upon delivery and I suffered from Post Natal Depression. Again the services to assist me were extremely limited, and I had no one to talk to. I could talk to a Psychiatrist at the hefty cost of $395 per hour.

Services are needed in the community to have access to qualified midwives who have that bed side manner Mum's connect with. They are a professional breed who are ignored and not respected for their knowledge, understanding and assistance they give when it is really needed.

[Maternity Coalition]

moo72, I hope you take this chance to make your voices heard and forward your experiences to the Review.

Maternity Coalition has released some additional information about the National Maternity Review and how to write a submission.

If you have an opinion on maternity care or want to share you experience, please write a submission. This is a opportune time to let the Government know what you want and need.
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There are only a few short weeks until responses to the National Maternity Review are due on 31 October.
Maternity Coalition have put some information on our website to help you get started on writing your own personal (or your organisation's) submission to the review.

www.maternitycoalition.org.au/review2008 (http://www.maternitycoalition.org.au/review2008)

Questions to help get you started
You don’t need to answer all the questions in the Discussion Paper. What you write is up to you, but you might like to write about :
• Your own experiences: when, where and how did you birth – did you use private or public care, did you birth at home or hospital, are you living in a suburban or rural location and who was your primary carer – a midwife or a doctor (GP or obstetrician), how many carers did you see throughout your pregnancy up until your baby was six weeks old;

• What things went well, particularly in terms of the care that you received during pregnancy, labour, birth and after the birth;

• What things did not go well, and how could they have been done better;

• What do you think about the choices available to women and their families in maternity services in your area and generally across Australia?

• Are these choices sufficient?

• Have you had choices denied to you? What reasons were given for this?

• Did you feel that you had enough information given to you during your pregnancy, labour and birth?

• Were you supported adequately after the birth of your baby? If so, in what ways, and if not, why not?

• What changes would you like to see in maternity services;

• Anything else that you feel you would like to share.