URGENT - Senate Inquiry re: complaints about midwives - closes Thursday

[Jennifer13]

I changed the wording from 'her' to 'their' and so on. Midwives are not all women.

[Cassius2]

Done! although, like others i did rewrite the template to better reflect our personal situation

thanks for linking this Kelly!

[Little Chicken]

You know the complaints and infringements process is the same for all midwives and nurses regardless of where they work and it isn't picking out independent midwives as a means to end their careers just that the restrictions effect them more. Not all independent midwives practice safely and may need reporting just as not all hospital midwives and nurses practice safely either and need reporting as well.

[Oliando]

Actually Chicken, specifically because it is NOT the same, we are engaged in this effort....I'm not confused

When an independent midwife has conditions put on her registration she is forced to report to work in a hospital or not be allowed to work at all. If you already work in a hospital, your aren't sent home on no pay.

Having explicit familiarity with some of the complaints hospitals - HOSPITALS have brought against midwives (not clients) I can assure you it is a witch hunt intended to target IM's, and not only for the simple fact that they are forced out of employment whilst even the most baseless hysterical work of fiction is investigated. Should they ask for interim jobs at the same hospitals spinning works of fictitious complaints against them?

But I would not advocate that we allow the same system afforded OBGYN's, who even when their actions damage women and babies are allowed to continue practicing, telling NO ONE and settling in confidential law suits so no one ever knows the magnitude of their incompetence. Not a big fan of that either.

There is a middle ground, I would like to find it before I have to seriously consider free birthing in a few months.


Yeddi, I think that wording is fair. Women would be forced to go to hospital or make the choice to free birth. Forced for lack of options or making a choice. It's one of the few times the language has not been upsetting to freebirthers who are usually forced to assume the "people of the worst case scenario and risk" roles. Freebirth is a valid choice for many, but for others it's not, so for lack of choice they ARE forced to go to hospital. No one will free birth that wasn't already inclined to. I think it's good wording. DOCS gets called for such a wide variety if reasons, you might not see it coming no matter where you birth or why. It's sad that such an important public service gets used with disrespect and flippancy by hospitals just to spank "bad" patients. But they do.

[zrieka]

You know the complaints and infringements process is the same for all midwives and nurses regardless of where they work and it isn't picking out independent midwives as a means to end their careers just that the restrictions effect them more. Not all independent midwives practice safely and may need reporting just as not all hospital midwives and nurses practice safely either and need reporting as well.

Hi Little Chicken

I think that is a really excellent point.

Anyone dealing in healthcare should be held to a high standard. Anyone dealing in birth (in or out of hospital) should be beyond reproach. A midwife who practices at home has less backup from colleagues than a midwife who practices in a hospital. You would expect a higher standard of practice from someone who goes it alone. If they can't uphold that higher standard then perhaps its better that they do spend more time in a collaborative environment.