MEDIA RELEASE 1 November 2006

Risk to women & unborn babies in new Medicare pregnancy care item

‘The health of some women and their babies is being put at risk by Health Minister Tony Abbott because from today, practice nurses can provide pregnancy care without having a qualification to do so”, says Professor Pat Brodie, National President of the Australian College of Midwives.

Professor Brodie was referring to the new Medicare item number 16400 that begins today, which provides for a GP or specialist to delegate care of a pregnant woman living in a rural or remote community to a midwife, registered nurse, enrolled nurse or Aboriginal Health Worker.

“We are supportive of government initiatives that improve access to quality pregnancy care to women in rural and remote communities, particularly when this is delivered in a collaborative model”, Professor Brodie said. “But ACM shares the concerns of numerous other professional groups about the safety and quality of care that will be provided under the new item”.

Pregnancy care is not within the scope of practice of nurses unless they also have a midwifery qualification. This has been made clear in the recent publication of separate competency standards for midwives and for nurses by the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Council.

“We have received advice from regulatory authorities in some states that it would be unlawful for a nurse to provide pregnancy care on behalf of a doctor unless they also have a qualification in midwifery. It could even be unlawful for a doctor to ask a nurse to do this. We provided this information to Tony Abbott, but he has consistently refused to take any notice and amend the item to ensure women get care from people who are appropriately qualified to give it”, said Professor Brodie.

“Tony Abbott has been happy to rely on promises from doctors groups that the doctor will remain responsible for the care that is provided, even though they won’t be present when the care is given. This won’t be much consolation to a woman whose baby’s health is put at risk by a nurse unknowingly missing signs that her pregnancy is not normal”, Professor Brodie said.

“Pregnancy care is not just about taking a blood pressure or weight measurement. It involves assessing the overall wellbeing of the mother and her baby. While midwives are educated to recognise and act upon signs of anything being out of the ordinary, nurses without a qualification in midwifery are not”.

“There is the very real risk that a nurse might unknowingly fail to refer woman to an obstetrician in time with potentially serious consequences”, Dr Brodie said. “Women and babies deserve the very best standards of care, wherever they live, and they shouldn’t be forced to accept second rate services just because they live in the bush”.