July 3, 2022
  • Homepage
  • Specialities
  • Mental Health
  • Aged Care
  • Midwifery
  • Emergency
  • Drug and Alcohol
  • General
  • Home
    • Latest News
    • Featured News
    • Editorial
    • Lamp Archive
    • Lamp 2022
  • Professional Issues
    • Research
    • Education
    • Career
    • Registration
    • Students
    • Public Health
  • Specialities
    • Mental Health
    • Aged Care
    • Midwifery
    • Emergency
    • Drug and Alcohol
    • General
  • Workplace Issues
    • Ask Shaye
    • Workplace News
    • Unions
  • Social Justice & Action
    • Climate Change and Environment
    • Community Campaigns
    • Member Stories
    • Share Your Story
  • Life
    • Work
    • Offers
    • Travel
  • Conferences, Scholarships & Research
    • Jobs

Top Advertisment

Midwifery

Specialities / Midwifery

Critical midwifery shortage at Wollongong Hospital prompts community campaign

Lamp Editorial Team
|
October 24, 2017

Wollongong Hospital branch of the NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association (NSWNMA) has today called for urgent intervention by the NSW Minister for Health to help resolve serious understaffing issues hampering maternity services at Wollongong Hospital.

During a community morning tea to raise awareness of the region’s critical midwifery shortage, NSWNMA members outlined the length of time they had raised concerns with Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District and the little improvement that followed.

President of NSWNMA Wollongong Hospital branch, Denis Wann, said all levels of the Local Health District were well aware of concerns within the hospital’s maternity services, yet the problems still remained.

“For some time, we have been raising grave concerns about staffing shortages and the impact this is having on midwives being able to deliver the best possible care to both expectant mothers and new mums in the region,” Mr Wann said.

“For many months, we have been calling for full-time equivalent midwifery vacancies to be filled and for non-clinical administrative support to be improved, so that midwives can focus on crucial antenatal and postnatal care, not to mention the care necessary during labour and delivery.”

A review of BirthRate Plus, the tool used to determine workforce requirements, in March 2016 identified the need for at least 10 new midwives at Wollongong Hospital. At the time, the hospital was already around 10 full-time equivalent midwives short, and more resignations followed as a result of the understaffing.

“We’ve got a situation now where midwives are burning out and the skill mix and expertise of new recruits is low because they are not being offered the necessary guidance of enough clinical educators,” said Mr Wann.

“We cannot continue to have situations where one midwife is required to care for up to 28 patients, it’s simply not safe. There are also heightened concerns that new mothers are only receiving the bare minimum of postnatal care, prompting readmissions.

“Wollongong Hospital is a tertiary referral hospital and as the only major birthing site in the region north of Shoalhaven, it should be providing a much higher standard to the community, and that’s why we are calling on the Health Minister to urgently intervene.”

The NSWNMA said it welcomed the support from local community group, Better Births Illawarra, and encouraged members of the public to contact local Members of Parliament to also intervene.

Download this media release: Critical midwifery shortage at Wollongong Hospital

Related Posts

Mandated ratios will bring midwives back

3 years ago

Nurses and Midwives: Know Your Penalty Rates

2 years ago

Let’s get real. Perinatal anxiety and depression is serious

2 years ago

Middle Advertisment

Share This Story, Choose Your Platform!

Advertisement Area Single Article

COVID-19 Information

  • Public health employees
  • Private health employees
  • Aged Care information
  • Student information
  • Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Trending

  • ANMF Calls on Government to Keep COVID Payments For Workers under Unions
  • Formula milk companies using “insidious marketing” under Research
  • Tax time tips for nurses and midwives under Work
  • NSWNMA works towards zero emissions under Climate Change and Environment
  • Public health employee information for COVID-19 under COVID-19, Public Health

Footer Content 01





Footer Content 02

The Lamp is the magazine of the NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association. It is published bi-monthly and mailed to every member of the Association.

Footer Menu 01

About

NSWNMA
Careers
Terms of Use
Privacy Policy

Footer Menu 02

Contact

Contact Us

Footer Menu 03

Advertising

Advertising

Copyright © 2022 NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association. Authorised by B.Holmes, General Secretary, NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association, 50 O’Dea Avenue Waterloo NSW 2017 Australia.
Design and Development by Slant Agency