Changing Birth Culture

One Birth At A Time

at higher risk of severe disease as a result of Covid-19 infection. The vaccine became available from 9 February at nominated vaccination clinics. Vaccine appointments for babies and children in this group can be booked online or by calling Healthline on 0800 28 29 26.

• The vaccine contains a lower dose of mRNA that has been specially formulated for this age group.

• The vaccine is a three-dose course. The second dose is given three weeks after the first dose, followed by a third dose at least eight weeks after the second dose.

• The vaccine is available to those with the following health conditions (co-morbidities):

- chronic lung disease including bronchiectasis, cystic fibrosis, BiPAP for OSA

- complex congenital heart disease, acquired heart disease or congestive heart failure

- diabetes (insulin-dependent)

- chronic kidney disease (GFR <15 ml/ min/1.73m2)

- severe cerebral palsy (or severe neurodisability including neuromuscular disorders)

- complex genetic, metabolic disease or multiple congenital anomalies, e.g. Trisomy 21/Down Syndrome

- primary or acquired immunodeficiency

- haematologic malignancy and/or post-transplant (solid organ or HSCT in last 24 months)

- on immunosuppressive treatment including chemotherapy, high-dose corticosteroids (Prednisone 2 mg/ kg/day for more than 1 week, or 1 mg/kg/day for more than 1 month), biologics or DMARDS.

Children aged six months to four years who are not in these risk categories have a very low likelihood of developing severe illness following Covid-19 infection and do not need the vaccine (and are not therefore eligible to receive it). square

Book early for your MSR

The Midwifery Council requires mdiwives to undertake a Midwifery Standards Review (MSR) at least every three years, and it can be a long time for midwives to remember when their next review is due. Our administrator, Saili Tuitape, works hard to accommodate midwives’ booking requests; however, it can be stressful for midwives to realise their MSR is due imminently and find that there are no available slots, as they are usually booked up months in advance. If you think this could be you, check your MSR due date on your Midwifery Council portal. If it is due in 2023, book it in now to give yourself the time to prepare.

To help keep up with the demand, the College is recruiting more midwives and consumers into the MSR and MFYP reviewer roles earlier than the usual bi-annual ballot. This will only apply to certain geographical areas that are short of reviewers and will also look to increase the number of Māori reviewers, as more of our Māori members are requesting to be reviewed by Māori. square

Scope of practice submission

The College provided a submission to the Midwifery Council in December on the second version of the revised scope of practice statement. A member consultation of the draft submission was undertaken, and member feedback was incorporated into the final version. Key aspects of the submission were unequivocal support for the elevation of cultural safety, prioritisation of te ao Māori worldviews and honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi partnership within the scope.

The College accepts and welcomes the transition to explicitly name whānau-centred care in the scope. A clear definition of whānau is needed to ensure health professionals, the public, the legal system, and relevant professional accountability forums have a consistent interpretation of who the midwife is authorised to provide clinical care to. The College sought further assurance that the Council will provide clear and transparent information to the profession about its intended process for socialising and implementing the new scope in a culturally safe way, and ensuring education is widely available to midwives. square

Te Whatu Ora pre-employment vaccination policy submission

When the prime minister announced the end of the legal mandate for Covid-19 vaccination in September 2022, health districts were advised to return to their regional vaccination policies for new staff until a national policy was confirmed.

When a draft policy was released for internal Te Whatu Ora consultation in January, the College requested to circulate the draft to its members and provide a representative submission, which was subsequently undertaken. Respondents broadly agreed with the College’s position, that vaccination is recommended and important for health care workers, but should not be mandatory, particularly given the public health risk of health workforce shortages.

The College also recommended that serology testing for immunity and the offer of vaccination to students and prospective staff should be made free of charge. A final version of the policy is expected in the coming months. square

Recent submission provided by the College

Sale and Supply of Alcohol (Community Participation) Amendment Bill

This consultation closed on 10 February. In its submission, the College continued to advocate for the regulation of alcohol promotion, advertising, and sponsorship, alongside the proposed legislation to increase participation of communities in decision-making processes. This bill will unfortunately only partially address the issues of alcoholrelated harm. square

Midwifery First Year of Practice Aotearoa National Programme

The College welcomes all graduate midwives to the profession in 2023 and also acknowledges the 2022 graduates as they move into their second year of practice.

Each year brings changes within the MFYP, which enables us to continue to strengthen the programme and support graduates over their transitional year. In 2023, the significant changes reflect the timing of entry to midwifery, as graduates nationally sit their Midwifery Council exam and enter the profession from November through to June.

We have already welcomed a large group of graduates from AUT, Ara, Otago Polytech and Wintec, and look forward to welcoming the first group of graduates from Victoria University’s School of Midwifery in November 2023. We anticipate there will be approximately 140-150 graduate midwives who will join the profession this year and work in their chosen practice setting.

Thank you to all of the midwives who have once again chosen to be a mentor midwife for graduates over 2023. We appreciate all of the support from professionals, graduates, mentors and the heads of schools as we navigate these new changes. square

Continuing education update

It is with great pleasure that we inform members planning for the College’s national education calendar is well underway. It feels positive that we can now plan for the next couple of years with the challenges of Covid-19 hopefully well behind us all.

The College education team met at the end of 2022 and planned a varied and exciting education calendar for 2023-2024. Multiple modes of educational platforms will be utilised with the aim of supporting members’ access to education more easily: face-to-face workshops; webinars; e-Ako (e-learning); and hybrid models (e-Ako and zoom). New topics, as well as updated popular workshops will be available.

We welcome new members of our team - Annmarie Taiapa, Priya Pillar and Debbie MacGregor. We look forward to seeing you soon, either in person or online. square