Hospital desperate for more midwives
Palmerston North Hospital urgently needs at least six more midwives to ensure women and babies continue to get the care they need.
A review of staffing in the maternity unit during the past financial year showed 792 shifts were under-staffed.
It was ‘‘a significant clinical risk for maternity’’, Midcentral healthy women, children and youth operations executive Sarah Fenwick told district health board members yesterday.
Her report to the health and disability advisory committee mirrors this week’s reports of ‘‘a chronic workforce deficiency’’ at Hutt Hospital’s maternity ward.
However, while the health and disability commissioner’s attention on Hutt Hospital was sparked by several complaints about standards of care, Midcentral’s annual maternity report included more improvements than problems.
Thirty-one cases were reviewed to find out whether poor outcomes could have been avoided.
On the plus side, the management of women in induced labour, which had reduced the need for caesarean deliveries, had won an innovation award from the Health Round Table.
Fenwick said midwifery
Midwifery director
shortages were a national problem.
Midcentral was using more than seven registered nurses to cover midwifery vacancies and Fenwick said another six midwives were needed. ‘‘Due to the national shortage of midwives, interim plans have been put into place, including additional health care assistant hours and an on-call midwife system.’’
Part of the problem for the Palmerston North Hospital was the popularity of the Te Papaioea primary birthing unit as the choice for women in the community who had their own lead maternity carers, and were expected to have uncomplicated labour and deliveries.
Midwifery director Paula Spargo said that meant the hospital’s case load was weighted toward women more likely to need more complex care. ‘‘It’s a stressful environment and staff become burned out. They cannot work at that level for long.’’
The maternity report also noted that many hospital-based midwives left to work in the community or primary birthing units.
Investigations were under way to see whether they could have opportunities to work shifts outside the hospital.
Spargo said not many new midwives were entering the profession.
Midwifery training was demanding, she said, and those studying could not have another job as well, and had to be on call around the clock.
The response to the midwifery shortage included ongoing recruitment campaigns in New Zealand and seeking a recruitment agency to find midwives internationally.
‘‘It’s a stressful environment and staff become burned out. They cannot work at that level for long.’’ Paula Spargo