Midwife shortage affecting maternity care in Southern Tablelands

The organiser for the Nurses and Midwives’ Association claims a shortage of midwives in Goulburn is affecting post-natal care, and leading to a reduction in breastfeeding. 

Breastfeeding rates in Goulburn have reduced significantly according to the nurses’ union, due to a shortage of midwives to provide much-needed support through antenatal and post-natal programs.

NSW Nurses and Midwives Association local organiser, Pippa Watts, said that the nursing and paediatric units in Goulburn were “stretched thin” and were urgently in need of midwives.

Organiser of NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association, Pippa Watts.

“Those positions need to be filled permanently,” she said.

She also said that the Child and Family Health team in Goulburn was struggling due to a shortfall of midwives.

“They’ve had to stop antenatal classes for women and their partners in terms of what to expect after the birthing process,” she said.

Ms Watts said because mothers have not been able to receive the relevant information from antenatal and post-natal programs, many have gone to less reliable sources.

“Midwives are finding that women are looking to fill that education gap by turning to social media and coming in with unrealistic expectations, which places additional pressure on staff to relay the reality,” she said.

A woman attending a maternity appointment at a hospital.

She added that a lack of programs was also causing mothers to discontinue with breastfeeding.

“Anecdotally speaking, breastfeeding rates have reduced significantly due to midwives not being able to provide support,” she said.

Ms Watts, a mother herself, noted the importance of having a breastfeeding program available.

“I know from my experience breastfeeding programs are invaluable,” Ms Watts said.

“Every child is different so being able to provide support is crucial for the mums that do want to breastfeed.

“They shouldn’t be denied that support.

“We need to improve staffing quick smart so that nurses and midwives stay.”

President of Goulburn District Unions (GDU), Anna Wurth-Crawford, Goulburn Mulwaree Councillor and member for GDU Jason Shephard and member for GDU Greg Evans, at Thursdays NMA strike at Belmore Park.

Goulburn District Unions President and former nurse, Anna Wurth-Crawford, said at Thursdays Goulburn gathering as part of the statewide NMA strike, that in addition to breastfeeding programs, midwives are struggling to provide care to mothers and babies in general.

“At Goulburn a worker came in and was told there would be no midwives on that shift, and that paramedics would come in and look after the pending births,” Ms Wurth-Crawford said.

“Once a union got involved, they found a midwife.”

Additionally, hospitals nearby which don’t have birthing units relied significantly on the maternity services at Goulburn, such as Yass Hospital, she said.

Last year the New Yass Hospital with Maternity Working Group made a submission to the Inquiry into health outcomes and access to health and hospital services in rural and regional NSW.

The group was formed by volunteers in 2018 to lobby for a new hospital in Vass and a return to full maternity and delivery services at Yass Hospital.

In their submission they said: “Despite a population of more than 17,000 people, Vass Valley mothers cannot deliver their babies at Yass Hospital and must travel to Queanbeyan, Goulburn or Canberra for labour and delivery.

“This causes additional anxiety and stress, over and above the normal fear women can have of labour and delivery.”

Newly appointed Yass Mayor Allan McGrath said in his most recent Mayoral Minute that he would be discussing reduced provision of services at Yass Hospital with local member for Goulburn / Minister Local Government Wendy Tuckerman.

“I spoke to Mrs Tuckerman on Wednesday when she indicated she was aware of some of the concerns and would be raising them with Ms Bronnie Taylor, the Minister Regional Health,” Mr McGrath said.

“The General Manager and myself will be talking to Mrs Tuckerman on Friday.”

Shadow Health Minister Ryan Park also spoke to The Bowral News about the midwifery shortage in regional NSW.

“We know that we have a midwifery shortage at the moment – a common theme across the inquiry into rural and regional health services,” he said.

“Midwifery, obstetrics, post-natal care are things that the community are saying loud and clear the government needs to get better at providing.

“It puts an enormous strain on a family or a woman who has to travel long distances, and stay overnight to access fairly frequent and essential check-ups.”

The Bowral News reached out to the Southern NSW Local Health District in relation to the availability of maternity programs in Goulburn, who said:

“We can confirm that all maternity and post-natal services are operating normally at Goulburn Base Hospital (GBH).

“Several new midwives have recently joined the GBH maternity team. There are no vacant positions.”