Gold Coast Hospital birthing services review - QNU response
Published: 26 October 2010
The review into birthing services at Gold Coast Hospital has vindicated the midwifery model of care at the hospital’s birthing centre, which is good news for Gold Coast families and the staff who work at the centre, the Queensland Nurses Union (QNU) said today.
QNU secretary, Gay Hawksworth, said the Gold Coast Health Service District’s decision to accept the review recommendation that “all women with a healthy uncomplicated pregnancy should have access to a midwifery-led model that provides continuity of care” is also a major step forward for local birthing services.
The QNU was responding to today’s release of the “Service Review of Birthing Services at the Gold Coast Hospital” and the Gold Coast Health Service District’s response to its recommendations. The review was conducted following the abrupt closure of the Gold Coast Hospital’s Birth Centre for 26 hours in July this year. This closure caused immense disruption to pregnant women booked with the Birth Centre and to the midwives. The review was subsequently broadened to include all birthing services at the hospital.
Ms Hawksworth said the QNU is mostly supportive of the review’s recommendations and QNU officials will continue to work with members at the service on their implementation.
“There are still some practical issues, concerning how some recommendations will be implemented, to work through, but it is undoubtedly a mostly positive outcome,” Ms Hawksworth said.
“A key finding, given the circumstances leading to the review, is that:
Of the indicators available for comparison, there are no concerns regarding any of the reported clinical outcomes. For all reported indicators, the results are comparable with Queensland hospitals, Australian peer and WHA peer organisations.
“The recommendations are also strong on better collaboration between the various clinical disciplines involved in providing birthing services at the hospital. This is a good step, because midwives have felt for some time that a small section of the medical profession has not been very supportive of their work.
“Yet, as the review team indicates, giving mothers safe choices is the best way to operate birthing services and mutual respect for each others clinical skills is vital to achieving that outcome.
“Midwives around the State, not just on the Gold Coast, will be pleased that the review team took a strong stand on this issue of professional cooperation and that the Gold Coast District has accepted its position,” Ms Hawksworth said.Contact:
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