Midwives at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital rallying to protest planned job cuts

Midwives working across maternity services at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital have spoked out against planned job cuts. Here’s what Health Minister Ryan Park had to say.

Midwives working across maternity services at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital have spoken out against planned job cuts.

Sydney Local Health District announced that up to 15 full-time positions will be removed at the women and babies’ service with a further five midwife positions axed from the Midwifery Group Practice.

Nine beds in the post-natal ward are also scheduled to close.

These changes, which took effect from Tuesday, sparked huge backlash from hospital staff with about 60 midwives braving the wet weather to protest outside the Camperdown facility.

They voiced concerns about how the changes would impact the delivery of care to local families.

The crowd standing in the rain. Picture: NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association

Protesters held signs to help get their message across including: ‘Mums and babies matter’, ‘Midwives save lives’ and ‘Deliver care not cuts.’

The NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association (NSWNMA) had fought to prevent these changes but were unsuccessful.

NSWNMA General Secretary Shaye Candish. Picture: Tim Hunter.

NSWNMA General Secretary Shaye Candish said the NSW government confirmed there would be more than $83m to boost maternity care across the state, including 53 additional midwives, in last week’s budget.

“Yet this week, we have one of Sydney’s largest hospitals decreasing positions,” Ms Candish said.

“The Sydney Local Health District also admitted it has had rolling recruitment advertisements for a number of vacant midwifery positions in both these services, despite these planned job cuts.”

She said the cuts would still leave delivery wards short-staffed and make it difficult for the hospital to provide a midwife to a woman in labour and another for her post-partum care.

The cuts would leave delivery wards short-staffed. Picture: NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association

Health Minister Ryan Park said no one would be losing their jobs and these cuts were agreed to by the union and the employer some time ago.

“They’ve had a slight reduction in birthrates at RPA, but we will continue to use those nurses and midwives across the maternity services,” he said.

He said the reduction in births at the hospital meant nurses and midwives may be reallocated to midwifery practice groups and post-natal services around the district where women need them most.