Health CEO responds to midwife claims
THE whole Murwillumbah Hospital Maternity Service is being examined so it is correct to compare the total number of births with the total number of midwives.
The Caseload Midwifery Service has 15 to 17 births per midwife. This compares to the neighbouring Mullumbimby Hospital Caseload Midwifery Service, which has 25 births per midwife.
Each full-time caseload midwife at Murwillumbah Hospital should assist 38 pregnant women through their pregnancies, birth, and post-natal period. According to the NSW average, each caseload midwife should deliver 88% of the babies from the women on their caseload. This amounts to 33 births per midwife.
So the Murwillumbah Hospital Midwives are delivering around half the number of babies that they would normally be expected to deliver.
This is not a criticism of the midwives but demonstrates why the current model needs to be examined, especially in the context of the drop in number of births occurring.
For example, women self-referring to the Caseload Service and caseload midwives being involved in the delivery of medium and high risk births at The Tweed Hospital will be considered.
