FROM THE CEO
MOVING FORWARD BOLDLY AS ONE Our new health system is slowly taking shape, with recent announcements about the proposed Health NZ and Māori Health Authority structures revealing glimpses of what the changes might mean for midwives and maternity services. Further details will be revealed when the Interim Health plan is published in June, but at time of writing, the future is unclear. What we do know is, hospital and community services will be funded separately, with community services organised around localities, enabling residents of those localities to determine their own health care needs and how they are met. Nine locality ‘prototypes’ have been identified, to be connected through a provider network, which will support each service and encourage providers to work together. Whilst community needs should undoubtedly drive any proposed changes, practitioners - who have the lived experience
of working within these communities and are equally invested in improving outcomes - are ideally placed to contribute to the solutions these health reforms seek. Concerningly, in almost every case, midwifery has not had the opportunity to be meaningfully involved in the planning stages, at either local or national levels, and continues to be viewed as an add-on, rather than a core service which should be consulted. Unsurprisingly, midwifery has also been overlooked in the clinical leadership roles within Health NZ and the Māori Health Authority (see pg. 10). In addition to these oversights, community midwifery lags behind the remainder of the health system, stuck with an out-of-date contract that has remained largely unchanged since it was written in 1996. The health system reforms provide an opportunity for contracting and employment models to evolve, and whilst Section 88
Whilst community needs should undoubtedly drive any proposed changes, practitioners - who have the lived experience of working within these communities and are equally invested in improving outcomes - are ideally placed to contribute to the solutions these health reforms seek.
ALISON EDDY CHIEF EXECUTIVE
ISSUE 105 JUNE 2022 | 5
