“A sad day.”
That’s how Jill Ovens, the
co-leader of MERAS (the
Midwives’ union) is describing the news today that St
George’s Hospital maternity service is closing.
The
maternity contract between St George’s and Te Whatu Ora
will not be renewed at the end of June.
St George’s
currently provides the only *primary birthing unit in
Christchurch, with the nearest alternative half an hour
away, by car. A new
primary unit is set to open in the city at the end of
the year.
“Ideally it would have been better for
women to have access to a primary unit in the city until the
end of the year but that is not to be,” says Ms Ovens.
“There are other options but for Christchurch-based
families, they are away from their community which is not
ideal for women or midwives,” she says.
Last year a
possible closure was announced due to staffing shortages,
but staff, midwives, and young mothers rallied to keep the
ward open in April presenting a 30,000 signature petition to
the hospital’s chief executive Blair Roxborough. The
decision deadline was extended as a result.
Jill Ovens
says midwife staffing at St George’s has been at critical
levels for the last few years which has restricted the
number of beds available and resulted in women being turned
away.
“St George’s maternity hasn’t been
providing a reliable service because of workforce pressures.
There needs to be two midwives on each shift to be fully
staffed and that has been a challenge,” she
says.
The decision today shouldn’t have anyone
pointing fingers at Te Whatu Ora or St George’s, Ms Ovens
believes.
“The issues are more broadly entrenched
across the maternity and health sector, and Aotearoa is
reaping what has been sown.”
Ovens is referring to
the ongoing workforce stresses combined with the slow
recognition of midwives’ skills and value which has seen
glacial progress in pay parity negotiations, amongst other
things.
“Had those who can make the difference been
courageous enough to sort multiple issues out when they were
first apparent a decade ago, I don’t think we would be in
the challenging situation we are now,” she
says.
Occupancy in the maternity unit has reportedly
dropped 41% in last 12 months.
“Perhaps because of a
lack of surety around beds being available, midwives have
not been bringing women to St George’s to birth. We really
need to rethink how we ensure maternity services are
supported better, to provide women with the choices they are
entitled to,” says Jill Ovens.
* Primary birthing
units provide a “home away from home” environment and
are a good option for women with uncomplicated pregnancies.
Like home birth, women who choose a Primary Maternity Unit
are more likely to have a vaginal birth and are less likely
to require medical
interventions.
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