The Queensland Nurses and Midwives’ Union (QNMU) has welcomed the state government’s $42 million investment in maternity services.   

However QNMU Acting Secretary Kate Veach said the government must not forget the critical role midwives play in providing women and baby centred care in local communities throughout Queensland. 

“Queensland’s midwives deserve to be heard on the way maternity services are delivered in our state,” Ms Veach said. 

“This is why the future investment must include funding for midwife led continuity of care models such as Midwifery Group Practice.”  

She said as part of Midwifery Group Practice (MGP), midwives work with expectant mothers throughout pregnancy, labour and for up to six weeks after birth. 

MGPs, in place in Queensland for more than twenty years, operate without an obstetrician but ensure an obstetrician is available if required. MGPs provide improved outcomes and services for women and babies in communities such as Mareeba which lies one hour’s drive from a major hospital. 

Evidence shows continuity of care models such as MGP resulted in a 24% reduction of pre-term birth and a 16% reduction in pregnancy and neonatal loss. Continuity of carer | Clinical Excellence Queensland (health.qld.gov.au)  

“The QNMU is advised details of state budget maternity funding allocations will be guided by conversations at the state government’s second midwifery roundtable on June 16,” Ms Veach said.  

“The QNMU and midwife members will attend this roundtable to again call for adequate funding to support continuity of care models such as Midwifery Group Practice. 

“The QNMU has long called for funding and planning to ensure appropriate levels of midwives and nurses where they are needed.’’

QNMU member and midwife Ashleigh Sullivan said successful continuity of care models needed to be permanent, community based and midwife led.  

“It’s time for action. It’s time to listen to midwives, to truly hear them,” Ms Sullivan said.  

“Midwives have solutions which are genuinely women and baby centred, that actually improve outcomes.

“Midwives must be enabled to work to the full scope of their roles to ensure Queensland mothers and babies have access to free, quality care wherever they live.”  

The QNMU has repeatedly called for unified state and federal government planning and funding to address staffing shortfalls and workloads in midwifery and nursing throughout the state.  

“Queensland is experiencing a health workforce crisis,” Ms Veach said.  

“State and federal funding and planning is required immediately to safeguard the wellbeing of all Queenslanders and Australians.  

“Without planned and coordinated intervention, the health workforce crisis will only get worse. The time for action is now.”  

The QNMU’s state government budget submission calls for:  

Investment in workforce crisis healthcare reform: Funding to address widespread existing and forecast QH staffing shortfalls along with a comprehensive workforce plan to guarantee appropriate numbers of midwives and nurses, including the provision of scholarships and other support mechanisms.  

Innovative roles: Funding and support for autonomous practice such as MGP, Nurse Practitioner clinics and private practice midwives. Enabling nurses and midwives to work to the full scope of their roles to help meet care demand.  

Ratios: The continued roll out of minimum, legislated ratios in QH maternity, operating theatres, emergency and offender health.  

Gender pay equity considerations including: Adopting gender pay equity considerations in public sector bargaining processes, interventions that address unpaid childcare such as employer or state funded provision of childcare or tax policies, investing in women-dominated industries and occupations and supporting women-owned and led businesses.   

Specialty areas: Increase nurse numbers in specialty areas of mental health and aged care and strategies to enable nurses and midwives to continue contributing to “Close the Gap” in life expectancy for First Nation peoples. Fund a large-scale implementation study of a partnership continuity of midwifery care approach to reduce pre-term birth rates in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.  
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