HDC stresses guidelines to midwives

Mothers and babies are being put at risk by some midwives who fail to give unbiased information, the Health and Disability Commissioner (HDC) has warned.

Anthony Hill was so concerned by a pattern appearing in complaints about maternity care that he wrote to the Midwifery Council, stressing that all women had the right to make informed decisions about their child birth.

In his letter to the council’s chief executive Sharron Cole, obtained under the Official Information Act, Hill raised concerns women were being ill-informed during childbirth. He sought reassurance the regulatory body was addressing this issue.

All lead maternity carers have to abide by referral guidelines, which highlight the importance of informed consent. This includes the right of the woman to receive ‘‘full, accurate, unbiased information about her options and the likely outcomes of her decisions’’.

In the letter, sent in July last year, Hill said the use of the guidelines – or lack thereof – was a recurring problem in past and current investigations. ‘‘It is often apparent that the midwife failed to clearly recommend to the woman that transfer of care or a consultation with a specialist is warranted, given that her pregnancy, labour, birth . . . or the baby is or may be affected by the presenting condition.’’

The pattern of complaints had continued despite the HDC raising the issue in 2016, he said. ‘‘Recently I have observed that a number of midwives . . . discuss the referral guidelines as an option for the midwife to consider, rather than as information the woman is entitled to receive.’’

Last week, Stuff told the story of a Waikato mother who needed an emergency hysterectomy after a lengthy labour.

After a three-year investigation, the HDC found her midwife had breached the Code of Health and Disability Services Consumer Rights by not making it clear a hospital transfer was necessary.