Midwives are revolting amid maternity chaos in Queensland

A first-time mum believes she and her five-week-old baby are lucky to be alive after a midwife at a central Queensland hospital intervened to stop plans to send the woman 100km to another hospital despite evidence of potentially fatal complications.

A first-time mum believes she and her five-week-old baby are lucky to be alive after a concerned midwife at a regional hospital intervened on plans to send her 100km to another hospital despite the woman experiencing potentially fatal complications.

Gladstone Hospital midwifery staff are now revolting against hospital bosses to save the lives of mothers and babies as the maternity crisis escalates to potentially deadly levels, and claim they have raised their fears with authorities including the Office of the Health Ombudsman.

Ari Prince, 22, was 35 weeks’ pregnant with baby Eli and vomiting blood when her family says a midwife raised concerns about plans to send her in an ambulance to Rockhampton Hospital.

Ari Prince with her partner Luke Shelton and baby Eli.

The midwife found an off-duty obstetrician, about to board a plane, to conduct an emergency C-section – which Ms Prince’s partner, Luke Shelton, was later told saved her life as she was having an eclamptic seizure and another 15 minutes could have killed her.

“I wouldn’t have Ari or baby Eli with me today if a midwife at the hospital hadn’t gone against advice and located an off-duty obstetrician to come and help us,” Mr Shelton said.

Ms Prince experienced an eclamptic seizure, during which she went blind and was vomiting blood.

She is one of two women The Courier-Mail has spoken to who claim they would be dead if it was not for the advocacy of Gladstone midwives who broke protocol and intervened on them being sent to Rockhampton.

Now, midwifery staff at the hospital claim they have taken the extraordinary move of escalating their fears of an obstetric tragedy to the Office of the Health Ombudsman, the Director-General Queensland Health and the Queensland Midwives and Nurses Union.

Gladstone Hospital maternity has been on bypass since July 8 and women are being directed to Rockhampton more than 100km away.

Gladstone Hospital has been on maternity bypass for eight months. File picture

Another Gladstone woman, Coco-Cherie Boyd, suffered a placenta abruption, where the placenta separates from the uterus. It can be fatal without fast intervention.

Queensland obstetrician Gino Pecoraro said that these were two of the most serious pregnancy complications and these patients should never be put into an ambulance but given urgent attention.

“These are medical emergencies that should be treated as such at a hospital, even if it is on bypass. This maternity situation is so grave that it can’t be fixed by the state government alone but needs the attention of the federal government,” Associate Professor Pecoraro said.

Mr Shelton said his partner was still too upset to talk about her ordeal.

“We hadn’t made it out of the carpark when she was totally out of it. She had gone almost blind and was vomiting up blood. I was scared,” he said.

“The staff were discussing putting Ari in an ambulance and delivering her to Rocky but the midwife was very concerned that she was too ill and wouldn’t make it.

“She made some calls and located an obstetrician who was on his way to the airport. Thankfully, he came to the hospital and did an emergency C-section. He told us that Ari was no more than 15 minutes away from being dead.”

Shannon Sutherland and Coco-Cherie Boyd had to transfer to RBWH to have baby daughter Willow due to the Gladstone maternity crisis. Picture: Tara Croser.

The couple was told the obstetrician who performed the C-section worked weekends at the hospital and was going to Brisbane that afternoon when the midwife phoned him.

The QNMU has confirmed they were in constant contact with midwives at the hospital and have attended multiple meetings with executives.

“The QNMU is aware members are experiencing stress and concern for those in their care, the community and their colleagues in relation to understaffing and issues associated with understaffing,” secretary Beth Mohle said.

Gladstone has a population of more than 60,000 and before the obstetrician staffing problems that put the hospital on bypass more than 600 babies were born there each year.

Ms Mohle said that the stresses being experienced are symptoms of a health system that needs change.

“Midwives and many other health workers are exhausted and experiencing extreme fatigue and concern for those in their care as a result of widespread understaffing,” she said.

Sources at the hospital claim that midwives who go against directives feel bullied.

Coco-Cherie Boyd and Shannon Sutherland after Willow’s birth in December.

Willow Marie Sutherland

While the union and Health Ombudsman confirmed they have been contacted regarding problems at Gladstone, the Director-General Queensland Health Shaun Drummond said he had not “received any direct correspondence of bullying or unrest at the hospital”.

“I met with the QNMU and midwives at Gladstone Hospital last month to reinforce the existing protocols to support maternity services while interim measures are in place,” he said.

“This included reiterating the importance of transferring mothers and their babies to Rockhampton Hospital earlier than planned if it was clinically appropriate to do so. I reiterated my view that midwives, nurses and doctors were doing a tremendous job under challenging circumstances. No claims of bullying were raised in that meeting.”

Monica Seth, executive director Gladstone Hospital, Central Queensland Hospital and Health Service said no midwife would lose their job for making sound clinical decisions.

“There are clear pathways which indicate what to do in particular circumstances, and no midwife’s job is at risk for making sound clinical judgment calls,” she said.

Queensland obstetrician Gino Pecoraro. File picture: Tara Croser

Asked if it was time for a cabinet reshuffle and a new minister to run the troubled health portfolio, Acting Premier Steven Miles backed Health Minister Yvette D’Ath.

“I don’t think so. No, the Health Minister is doing a great job in what is a very difficult job,” he said.