Representing New Zealand’s Midwives

MORE LOCUM DAYS AVAILABLE As a result of additional one-off funding becoming available MMPO Locum Support together with NZ College of Midwives can offer a one-off increase to the number of locum cover days available through the Rural and Urban Locum services. Between 1 APRIL & 30 JUNE 2019: RURAL midwives who qualify under the Rural Locum Service can access 1 additional day of regular locum cover (10 in total) and 1 additional day of emergency locum cover (6 in total). URBAN midwives who qualify under the Urban Emergency Locum Service will have access to 2 additional days of emergency locum cover (7 in total). ACCOMMODATION payment rates for locums have also receive a one-off increase during this period. *All covers are dependent on the availability of a locum. A full list of registered locums can be found on the Locum Database in the College portal. Locums who are not already registered can call 0800 MIDWIFE to check if they are eligible to provide cover. **Eligibility criteria for Rural and Urban cover and how to Become a Locum can be found under Services. For all other inquiries call us on 0800 MIDWIFE ... See MoreSee Less

1 week ago

A fabulous programme - well done Claire EyesReaching out to our Pacific mums & bubs With 40 years of midwifery experience behind her, Claire Eyes says poor care for mothers and their babies can affect entire communities. Rotarians are always looking for ways to help those less fortunate than ourselves. Of the six Areas of Focus, Water and Sanitation, Education and Literacy, and Community Development often take centre stage – but my personal passion is Maternal and Child Health. This shouldn’t be too surprising, given I’ve spent the past 40 years practicing as a midwife in my professional career. When we look at maternal health, we wrongly assume the cost of not having proper care for mothers and babies affects a few people; the mother, the child, and the immediate family. The impact can be far further reaching, however. Inadequate facilities and training can lead to injury to a child, mother, or worse. A disabled child often requires a 24-hour caregiver, a task usually falling to the mother, meaning she has no chance of future employment or income. It can lead to motherless families – a father left to care for multiple children alone, limiting the resources and attention they can receive. When enough of these circumstances take place, the income, economy and well being of the entire community decreases. I recently took part in an amazing initiative to train midwives from the Pacific. Funded by the Rotary clubs of District 9710 (Canberra) and District 9920 (Auckland and Pacific Islands), along with a Rotary Foundation grant, a two-week program was run in conjunction with the University of Canberra and the Australian College of Midwives from 2015 to 2017. I was fortunate to be Team Leader, guiding the 35 participants drawn from all over the Pacific region. The midwives attended the University of Canberra for two weeks, updating their skills and learning current practices to keep their mothers and babies safe. They further participated in a project leading to better outcomes in their diverse Pacific Island environments, often very isolated with minimal resources. Unfortunately, this project has now come to an end, but I hope one day a similar program will take its place, as the benefits are innumerable. It is also important to mention that developed nations are not immune to issues regarding maternal and child health. Women’s health is far more complex now than it was 20 years ago, with higher rates of diabetes, higher BMIs, babies not growing as well, higher incidences of maternal mental health issues both before and after birth, and higher anxiety both antenatally and postnatally coping with the demands and sleep deprivation of a new baby. Women are having their babies later in life, which brings its own challenges. Often, family support networks are not close by, parents are still working or are older. Our population is much more transient. New Zealand has an amazing “Continuity of Care” system, largely instigated by women in the 1990s wanting change in how they were cared for during their parenting journey. It means women are cared for by a midwife through some or most facets of their pregnancy, birth and postnatal phase, with 80 per cent of women having one-to-one care from the same midwife throughout their entire journey. Many countries are trying to emulate New Zealand’s system, and latest research clearly shows outcomes for mums and babies are much better with this system in place. As Rotarians, its vitally important we all contemplate the challenges faced by mothers, children and their families when considering the overall well being of a community. Ensuring they receive the best possible care is important not just for their own sakes, but for everyone. By Claire Eyes Rotary volunteer and wife of past District 9920 Governor Alan Eyes ... See MoreSee Less

2 weeks ago