North Canterbury women well-served for maternity care

October 21, 2011

North Canterbury women well-served for maternity care

Canterbury District Health Board (CDHB) is confident North Canterbury women have the right level of midwifery support, based within their own community.

David Meates, CDHB chief executive says there are 23 independent midwives with access agreements to CDHB birthing facilities compared to six, five years ago.

“Allowing communities to provide for themselves where they can is consistent with the model across the region and Rangiora is extremely well placed to do this,” he says.

Caseloads for the four CDHB employed midwives delivering babies at Rangiora Hospital have been declining for sometime as more self-employed Lead Maternity Carers (LMCs) moved into the district.

From January next year there will be five full-time equivalent (FTE) or 11 ‘core’ midwives still working in the maternity unit at Rangiora who provide post-natal care to new mothers and babies. They just will not be delivering babies.

The four CDHB midwives who took responsibility for delivery babies have all accepted positions at Christchurch Women’s Hospital, where their skills will be greatly appreciated.

The CDHB has worked closely over the last year or more with staff, the New Zealand College of Midwives (NZCOM), New Zealand Nurses’ Organisation, self-employed LMC’s in the district and other stakeholders to ensure North Canterbury women have the right access to the right care in the right places at the right time.

ENDS

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