TUGAS INDIVIDU 1

MIDWIFERY CARE IN AUSTRALIA

NAMA: IRMA NURUL HAYATI

KELAS: E1
NPM: 173112540120834
Midwives Australia is focused on assisting
midwives to establish midwifery group
practice either as private practitioners or in
public health services.
Midwives Australia

 From 1 November 2010 women can claim Medicare rebates for

midwifery care. Women can now claim a Medicare rebate for accessing
services from eligible private practice midwives.
 Midwives have greater opportunities to work in a self-employed
capacity as a sole trader or in small groups of professionals.
 Midwives Australia assists private practice midwives in establishing a
practice which best suits the way they choose to work; in developing
relationships with other practitioners with whom you might consult and
refer clients; and to support midwives who are working in a continuity
of care model.
 We understand that private practice and continuity of care models are
emerging frameworks of care in Australia and that midwives who work
this way are valuable resources in the workforce. We support you in
that work and strive to provide you with every service that you might
need in one central location.
Maternity Care in Australia
 Maternity care in Australia includes
antenatal, intrapartum and postnatal care
for women and babies up to six weeks after
birth. This care is provided in a variety of
public and private settings, and is supported
by service capability frameworks,
workforce, funding, information and data,
and technological infrastructure.
Models of care

 The Maternity Services Review identified a wide range of maternity care models
currently practised in Australia, and estimated 92.7% of Australian women receive care
through one of four models: private maternity care, combined maternity care, public
hospital care and shared maternity care.4 It is important to standardise nomenclature
and definitions across the range of models to facilitate meaningful analysis and program
comparisons.

In 2007, the majority (97.0%) of Australian women gave birth in conventional labour
ward settings, with far smaller proportions accessing birth centres (2.2%) or having
planned homebirths. There was also a small cohort of women who gave birth before they
reached a hospital. Of the women who gave birth in a hospital, 70.2% (196,960 women)
were in the public system and 29.8% (83,713 women) were in the private system.19

Continuity of care, as a feature of maternity care, is very important for women. There is
an increasing demand for midwifery continuity of care models. There are also many
women who choose to access continuity of care from general practitioners (GPs) and
specialist obstetricians. It is recognised that these choices should be respected and
supported by improved access for those who choose to use them.
The place of birth is a decision for women and their partners and families, with
a number of women choosing to give birth at home. There is a continuing
demand for planned homebirth to be made available through the public health
system,4 resulting in the provision of public homebirth services in several
jurisdictions within a safety and quality system. Midwifery Group Practices
providing care in the hospital and the community are the usual providers of
public homebirth care. Women who choose homebirth also use private models
with care provided by a privately practising midwife.

While the overall proportion of homebirths is expected to remain small,

demand for homebirth is anticipated to continue.4 Evaluation of individual
publicly funded homebirth programs, together with further consideration of
the two year National Registration and Accreditation Scheme exemption on the
requirement for midwives to hold professional indemnity insurance, will provide
an evidence base for further planning decisions.
Midwifery Group Practices

Sometimes known as ‘Caseload Midwifery’, Midwifery Group Practice (MGP)

enables women to be cared for by the same midwife (primary midwife) supported
by a small group of midwives throughout their pregnancy, during childbirth and in
the early weeks at home with a new baby. Midwifery care focuses on women’s
individual needs, or ‘woman centred care‘.
There are a growing number of Midwifery Group Practices in
Australia. Midwifery Group Practice may offer a range of options to women:
 Continuity of carer with one or two midwives
 Full pregnancy care
 On call for women in labour and birth
 Waterbirth
 Homebirth
 Birth centre births
 Postnatal care for six weeks
Most midwifery group practice are in public hospitals however
there are a growing number which are private. Public hospitals
often screen women for health risks before they are able to
access the midwifery model of care. They may also be bound by
geographical areas or limits on numbers. Both public and private
group practices work with doctors including obstetricians when
required.
Midwives Australia is focused on assisting midwives to establish
midwifery group practice either as private practitioners or in
public health services.
Principles for maternity care

 Maternity care should be evidence-based and woman-

centred, and acknowledge pregnancy, birth and parenting
as significant life events for women. Woman-centred
maternity care is responsive to women’s needs and
preferences, and enables them to access objective,
evidence-based information that supports informed
choices about their maternity care. Woman-centred care
also requires service planning and provision that is
designed and implemented to respond to the needs of
Australian women within a safety and quality system.
DAFTAR PUSTAKA

 http://www.health.gov.au/internet/publications/publishing.nsf/Conten
t/pacd-maternityservicesplan-toc~pacd-maternityservicesplan-
chapter3
 http://www.midwivesaustralia.com.au/?page_id=66
TERIMAKASIH