For two days in May, midwives in Queensland gather in Townsville to learn, share, network and be inspired by their role in progressing maternity care in Queensland.
The theme for the conference, Change Through Collaboration and Connection, speaks to the work of midwives in the maternity sector and highlights the multiple achievements and initiatives in Queensland.
Queensland is leading the country in many aspects of maternity care and has demonstrated a commitment to progress through the appointment of a Chief Midwife Officer, the first and currently only in any state of Australia. The overarching goal is to provide universal access to midwifery continuity models and there are some excellent initiatives being worked up.
There will be a self-referral tool for women in Queensland, enabling them to self-refer to continuity of care in public services, side stepping the unnecessary requirement to go through a GP.
The Growing Deadly Families Strategy focuses on valuing cultural traditions so that women in Queensland giving birth to a First Nations baby, have access to high quality, clinical and culturally capable maternity services. The inaugural appointment of First Nations Director of Midwifery, Melina Connors, demonstrates a commitment to leadership, prioritising care for First Nations families and building a First Nation’s midwifery workforce.
The midwifery workforce, and rural and remote access to care are also a focus and the Government has been proactive in looking at ways to sustain services across the state or reopen some services where communities have been affected by closures. Providing care differently and innovatively, such as through midwife led Primary Maternity Units, would offer an evidence-based alternative to maternity service bypass and closure in some settings.
Supporting and enabling midwives to work to their full scope of practice helps to sustain and make visible the midwifery profession, which ensures women and families have access to the services they need close to home including sexual and reproductive healthcare. There is also a push to broaden Endorsed Midwife pathways and enable visiting access by privately practicing midwives into public hospitals. A statewide credentialling process will streamline this.
Queensland Health Minister, the Honourable Tim Nicholls MP, will address the delegation of midwives and Chief Midwife Officer Liz Wilkes will provide an update from Queensland Health to open the conference on 16th May 2025.