“I returned to work this February after having a year off for maternity leave. On my third shift back, I found myself supporting a junior, casual pool midwife on her second in-charge shift,” Clinical Midwifery Educator Emma Kingi told the Minister for Health Ryan Park.

“As the most experienced person on shift I was working with:

• a new graduate midwife who had just registered in mid-February
• two overseas-recruited midwives who had commenced their placement with us in January
• two postgraduate students transitioning to become registered midwives.

“That’s four midwives who need support and two students unable to provide care by themselves. We looked after seven labouring women and a day full of pregnancy assessment walk-ins. Skill mixes like this are unsustainable but are considered acceptable under the Birthrate Plus workforce planning tool.

“Last month, on another junior- heavy shift, I responded to a rapid response call. A woman was rushed to an emergency caesarean following an abnormal ultrasound. One of our new grads went with her as her midwife. Tragically, at two-hours old that baby passed away. She asked me if she’d missed something, worried that her inexperience had somehow contributed to this baby’s death. If only proper staffing allowed her to be supported like she needed.

“It’s not fair to students, who often say the Midstart year is the worst and hardest year of their career – so hard, many don’t finish.

“It’s not fair to midwives and educators already overrun and forced to pick up those shortfalls.

“It’s definitely not fair to the women and babies who don’t receive the care they deserve.

“My nan was an AIN, my mum a nurse and midwife just like myself. I have a four-year-old niece. I asked mum if she’d encourage her to go into nursing. She said no. And frankly neither would I.”

NSW Councillor Emma Gedge’s question to the Minister for Health:

“Minister, will you commit to recommencing the review of the workplace planning tool Birthrate Plus, beginning with a focus on improving the experience of student midwives – including properly considering their removal from Birthrate Plus workforce numbers – and to identifying a more suitable alternative?”

Minister Park’s reply:

“Yes, we will. I’ve had concerns about this for some time – your issues around beginning midwives, student midwives. The issue of midwifery and birthing services across NSW, in particular in regional and remote areas, has to improve. We need to do better. I thank you for your advocacy today. What you talked about today is not easy, particularly as a health professional so committed as yourself. We are committed to reestablishing the working group and putting a focus on how we can do this better.”