Australian Private Midwives Association: January 2013

Friday, January 25, 2013

South Australian Government proposal to protect midwifery practice

Consultation Paper
The Proposal to Protect Midwifery Practice in South Australia Consultation Paper (PDF 98KB) (opens in a new window) seeks comments from stakeholders and other interested persons on the proposal to legislate for the restriction of midwifery services in South Australia to a registered midwife or midwifery student acting under the appropriate supervision of a registered midwife.

For more detail click here.

Submissions will be received up until 5.00 pm, Friday 1 March 2013 and may be forwarded by:

Email: policy&legislation@health.sa.gov.au
Post:
Protection of Midwifery Practice
Policy and Legislation Unit
Department for Health and Ageing
PO Box 287
Rundle Mall SA 5000

APMA will submit a response and we would appreciate comment from midwives who have an interest in the matter, as well as families or others who may be impacted by the proposals.

WHO ARE WE?

The Australian Private Midwives Association represents midwives in private practice. The association is focused on the safety of women, the ability of women to access quality midwifery care across Australia and the partnerships between women and midwives. APMA supports women’s choice in maternity options within a framework of quality and safety and believes in women being able to access midwives in all settings. APMA unites all midwives seeking to provide continuity of care for women.

APMA strives to provide midwives in private practice with information relevant to their practice and advocacy in the political process.

Enquiries:
Joy Johnston joy@aitex.com.au
Marie Heath NSW and National 0407 266004
Clare Lane (Vic) 0416 130219

APMA POSITION STATEMENT on PLANNED HOME BIRTHS WITH A MIDWIFE

1. We support home birth with a midwife in attendance for women who have uncomplicated labours. 2. We support and adopt the International Confederation of Midwives’ (ICM) Definition of the Midwife (2011), which is foundational to all midwifery practice, including homebirth. 3. We support the right of every woman to access a midwife as the primary maternity caregiver who works in partnership with the woman throughout the episode of care, who is able to be the responsible professional in attendance at the birth either at home or hospital, and who is able to make appropriate referral and transfer of care when required. 4. We support the right of a midwife to practise privately in a fee-for-service or funded relationship with the client, or to take up employment. 5. We support only those regulatory restrictions that are able to pass the ‘public interest’ test: “How does this promote health and wellbeing in the mother and baby?” 6. We support an expectation of equity, including equal pay for equal work throughout a midwife’s scope of practice. Midwives who provide primary maternity care are entitled to the same public funding, the same opportunity to charge a fee-for-service, the same access to hospital referral, and publicly supported indemnity insurance, as medical practitioners providing the same maternity services. 7. We support processes by which midwives are able to gain experience and mentoring in order to commence and demonstrate competence in homebirth practice. 8. We support seamless and reliable processes by which midwives are able to make hospital bookings for women planning homebirth, and arrange transfer to the hospital in a timely way when needed.

Australian Private Midwives Association

Friday, January 25, 2013

South Australian Government proposal to protect midwifery practice

Consultation Paper

Submissions will be received up until 5.00 pm, Friday 1 March 2013 and may be forwarded by:

Email: policy&legislation@health.sa.gov.au
Post:
Protection of Midwifery Practice
Policy and Legislation Unit
Department for Health and Ageing
PO Box 287
Rundle Mall SA 5000

APMA will submit a response and we would appreciate comment from midwives who have an interest in the matter, as well as families or others who may be impacted by the proposals.

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Friday, January 25, 2013

South Australian Government proposal to protect midwifery practice

Consultation Paper

Submissions will be received up until 5.00 pm, Friday 1 March 2013 and may be forwarded by: Email: policy&legislation@health.sa.gov.au Post: Protection of Midwifery Practice Policy and Legislation Unit Department for Health and Ageing PO Box 287 Rundle Mall SA 5000

APMA will submit a response and we would appreciate comment from midwives who have an interest in the matter, as well as families or others who may be impacted by the proposals.

Submissions will be received up until 5.00 pm, Friday 1 March 2013 and may be forwarded by:

Email: policy&legislation@health.sa.gov.au
Post:
Protection of Midwifery Practice
Policy and Legislation Unit
Department for Health and Ageing
PO Box 287
Rundle Mall SA 5000