“Having the 1:6 ratio trial really allowed us as midwives to deliver woman-centred care that was no longer rushed or pressured. It was really empowering for the midwives to be able to provide the quality of care they strive to give.”

That’s the verdict from midwives at the Midwifery Inpatient Unit, Gold Coast University Hospital, who recently completed a six-month trial of minimum ratios. The ratio was one midwife to every six people (ie: three women/people and three babies). Crucially – and what is currently lacking in every maternity ward in Queensland – babies were counted in the midwife’s workload. 

With more midwives on each shift, midwives told the QNMU they had more time to sit with mothers, listen to them and hear their needs, and provide holistic care that prioritised both mother and newborn. There was also more time to provide mothers with support and education, such as assistance with breastfeeding. 

To meet the minimum ratio, the unit recruited more midwives and undertook an education campaign for staff so they understood how the ratio would work and how they were to capture the necessary data.

The trial was undertaken following QNMU members securing an election commitment from the Palaszczuk Government. An independent evaluation is currently underway by the University of Queensland. However, QNMU midwives at GCUH are already spruiking the benefits and calling for the trial to be made permanent … and we couldn’t agree more!

As part of the QNMU’s Count the Babies campaign, we are calling for minimum postnatal inpatient care ratios to be implemented across Queensland – and most importantly, for every newborn baby to be counted in a midwife’s workload. QNMU members are currently arranging individual meetings with Queensland politicians to speak about the benefits of midwifery ratios and call on the government to introduce them across Queensland.

In addition, we also continue to call for public homebirth to be made available right across Queensland, to bring us in line with every other jurisdiction in Australia except Tasmania.

Watch this space and get active in our campaign!  

Find out more at www.qnmu.org.au/CountTheBabies



In photo: QNMU members Quyen Nguyen, Allie Slater, Chris Bailey, Grace Lewis, Emma Leeson, Hannah Jury, Laura Furness, Kim Tantra, Andrea Sebastian, Ashleigh McDonald and Kayla McDonald.