National Maternity Action Plan
Encyclopedia
The National Maternity Action Plan (NMAP) is an Australia
n document prepared by maternity consumer groups to alter the way Governments fund and resource maternity services.
Dr Tracy Reibel, and Dr Sally Tracy
as representatives of the Maternity Coalition
. It arose out of the recognition that up to 2002, States and Territory maternity lobby groups had worked independently for change, but until they were united in seeking the same outcomes, the Federal and State Governments would not change funding methods.
The Plan was launched on 24 September 2002 simultaneously in Canberra
, Sydney
, Melbourne
, Adelaide
and Perth
. The plan was launched at Parliament House in Canberra by:
The Plan was subsequently launched in Mount Gambier in South Australia and Mareeba
in Queensland.
representatives and organisations from across Australia. The NMAP outlines the rationale behind the need for major reform of maternity services, and, proposes a strategy for Federal and State/Territory governments to enable comprehensive implementation of community midwifery services in both urban and regional/rural Australia within the public health system.
The NMAP calls on both Federal and State/Territory governments to facilitate substantial change to the way in which maternity services are provided, by making available to all women the choice of having a community midwife provide continuous maternity care through the publicly funded health system.
Community midwifery services in the main provide continuity of midwifery led care to healthy women throughout the childbearing continuum, in collaboration with other practitioners such as general practitioners and specialist obstetricians, where indicated. Midwives are able to follow individual women across the interface between community and acute health services and to provide care to each woman from early in her pregnancy
until the baby is 4-6 weeks of age.
Universal access to continuity of midwifery care will ensure savings in health dollars and bring Australia into line with international best practice in addition to meeting community demands for a range of readily accessible and appropriate maternity services. Community midwifery is informed by international best practice standards that acknowledge midwives as “the most appropriate and cost effective type of health care provider to be assigned to the care of women in normal pregnancy and birth, including the risk assessment and the recognition of complications” (World Health Organisation, 1999, Care in Normal Birth). In other western countries, particularly in the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Canada, midwifery is promoted and funded both as a public health and a primary health strategy, since community based care from midwives can be responsive to local needs, particularly with regard to health inequalities and social exclusion.
Continuity of midwifery care has been proven to result in fewer women needing expensive obstetric interventions, such as caesarean surgery and operative deliveries. Research also shows that such care contributes to long-term breastfeeding, improved adjustment to parenting, and may lower the incidence of postnatal depression. Widespread access for pregnant women and their families to continuous care provided by community midwives would:
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n document prepared by maternity consumer groups to alter the way Governments fund and resource maternity services.
History
The plan was drafted in 2002 by Dr Barbara VernonBarbara Vernon
Barbara Vernon PhD is an Australian birth activist who lobbies government for improved provision of maternity services, particularly the expert use of midwives. She was the Executive Officer of the Australian College of Midwives from 2002 to 2010....
Dr Tracy Reibel, and Dr Sally Tracy
Sally Tracy
Sally Tracy DMid is an Australian, midwife, midwifery researcher, author and activist.Tracy is the Professor of Midwifery at the University of Sydney and the Royal Hospital for Women, Sydney and a Conjoint Professor, University of New South Wales, Sydney. She is based at the Midwifery and Women's...
as representatives of the Maternity Coalition
Maternity Coalition
The Maternity Coalition is an Australian advocacy group which aims to improve the provision of maternity services to parents. It consists of individuals as well as other non-government organisations.-Philosophy:The Maternity Coalition:...
. It arose out of the recognition that up to 2002, States and Territory maternity lobby groups had worked independently for change, but until they were united in seeking the same outcomes, the Federal and State Governments would not change funding methods.
The Plan was launched on 24 September 2002 simultaneously in Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
, Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
and Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
. The plan was launched at Parliament House in Canberra by:
- Dr Carmen LawrenceCarmen LawrenceCarmen Mary Lawrence is a retired Australian politician; a former Premier of Western Australia and the first woman to become Premier of a State of the Commonwealth of Australia....
, Shadow Minister for the Status of Women, Australian Labor PartyAustralian Labor PartyThe Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia... - Senator Kerry NettleKerry NettleKerry Michelle Nettle is a former Australian Senator and member of the Australian Greens in New South Wales. Elected at the 2001 federal election on a primary vote of 4.36 percent with One Nation and micro-party preferences, she failed to gain re-election at the 2007 federal election, despite an...
, Australian GreensAustralian GreensThe Australian Greens, commonly known as The Greens, is an Australian green political party.The party was formed in 1992; however, its origins can be traced to the early environmental movement in Australia and the formation of the United Tasmania Group , the first Green party in the world, which... - Senator Aden RidgewayAden RidgewayAden Derek Ridgeway , Australian politician, was a member of the Australian Senate for New South Wales, from 1999 to 2005, representing the Australian Democrats. During his term he was the only Aboriginal member of the Australian Parliament.-Early history:Ridgeway was born in Macksville, New South...
, Australian DemocratsAustralian DemocratsThe Australian Democrats is an Australian political party espousing a socially liberal ideology. It was formed in 1977, by a merger of the Australia Party and the New LM, after principals of those minor parties secured the commitment of former Liberal minister Don Chipp, as a high profile leader... - Senator Meg LeesMeg LeesMeg Heather Lees was a member of the Australian Senate from 1990 to 2005, representing the state of South Australia. She represented the Australian Democrats from 1990 to 2002, and was an independent senator between 2002 and 2005, adopting the party designation Australian Progressive Alliance from...
(Independent) - Jackie KellyJackie KellyJacqueline Marie Kelly , former Australian politician, was a Liberal member of the Australian House of Representatives from March 1996 until November 2007, representing the Division of Lindsay, New South Wales.-Early career:...
, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister
The Plan was subsequently launched in Mount Gambier in South Australia and Mareeba
Mareeba, Queensland
Mareeba is a town on the Atherton Tableland in Far North Queensland, Australia. The town is above sea level on the confluence of the Barron River, Granite Creek and Emerald Creek. The town's name is derived from an Aboriginal word meaning meeting of the waters...
in Queensland.
Content
The NMAP was prepared by a broad coalition of consumer and midwiferyMidwifery
Midwifery is a health care profession in which providers offer care to childbearing women during pregnancy, labour and birth, and during the postpartum period. They also help care for the newborn and assist the mother with breastfeeding....
representatives and organisations from across Australia. The NMAP outlines the rationale behind the need for major reform of maternity services, and, proposes a strategy for Federal and State/Territory governments to enable comprehensive implementation of community midwifery services in both urban and regional/rural Australia within the public health system.
The NMAP calls on both Federal and State/Territory governments to facilitate substantial change to the way in which maternity services are provided, by making available to all women the choice of having a community midwife provide continuous maternity care through the publicly funded health system.
Community midwifery services in the main provide continuity of midwifery led care to healthy women throughout the childbearing continuum, in collaboration with other practitioners such as general practitioners and specialist obstetricians, where indicated. Midwives are able to follow individual women across the interface between community and acute health services and to provide care to each woman from early in her pregnancy
Pregnancy
Pregnancy refers to the fertilization and development of one or more offspring, known as a fetus or embryo, in a woman's uterus. In a pregnancy, there can be multiple gestations, as in the case of twins or triplets...
until the baby is 4-6 weeks of age.
Universal access to continuity of midwifery care will ensure savings in health dollars and bring Australia into line with international best practice in addition to meeting community demands for a range of readily accessible and appropriate maternity services. Community midwifery is informed by international best practice standards that acknowledge midwives as “the most appropriate and cost effective type of health care provider to be assigned to the care of women in normal pregnancy and birth, including the risk assessment and the recognition of complications” (World Health Organisation, 1999, Care in Normal Birth). In other western countries, particularly in the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Canada, midwifery is promoted and funded both as a public health and a primary health strategy, since community based care from midwives can be responsive to local needs, particularly with regard to health inequalities and social exclusion.
Continuity of midwifery care has been proven to result in fewer women needing expensive obstetric interventions, such as caesarean surgery and operative deliveries. Research also shows that such care contributes to long-term breastfeeding, improved adjustment to parenting, and may lower the incidence of postnatal depression. Widespread access for pregnant women and their families to continuous care provided by community midwives would:
- Provide women with care that is as safe as current routine care
- Provide women with the choice of a midwife as their lead maternity carer in line with international best practice
- Improve maternal and infant outcomes
- Reduce the need for costly obstetric interventions in childbirth for the majority of pregnant women
- Be at least as, if not more cost effective than conventional models of maternity care.