❓ A parliamentary question seeks detailed information on midwifery services within the WA Country Health Service (WACHS), including location, staffing levels, recruitment challenges, and projected demand. The answer refers to a tabled paper for most data and highlights a decline in birth numbers and a shift towards caseload midwifery rostering.
AnsweredQoN 1858Legislative Council
Asked
12 February 2019
Member
Portfolio
Deputy Premier; Minister for Health; Mental Health
QuestionView source ↗
I refer to the provision of midwifery services in regional Western Australia, and I ask: (a) at what WA Country Health Service (WACHS) locations are midwifery services offered; (b) what is the budgeted FTE by WACHS location for midwifery services; (c) in the last 12 months how many midwifery positions have been advertised by WACHS and their respective locations; (d) of those identified in (c), how many were unable to be filled as a result of the recruitment process; (e) what was the reason for each vacancy that remained unfilled; and (f) what is the projected demand for midwives by WACHS?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
19 March 2019
Responded by
Parliamentary Secretary representing the Deputy Premier; Minister for Health; Mental Health
Response time
9 days
I am advised:
(a)-(e) Please see tabled paper no.
(f) WA Country Health Service (WACHS) have experienced a decline in birth numbers in the last three years of around 15% (consistent with metropolitan Perth). The current budgeted midwifery FTE is appropriate to projected service demand using traditional midwifery rostering models which include nursing duties when no midwifery activity.
The contemporary caseload midwifery rostering model (versus the traditional model of having a midwife rostered every shift whether there is midwifery activity or not) means WACHS is able to respond to the unpredictable peak and troughs of midwifery / maternity activity demands using less midwifery FTE, as midwives are able to respond via flexible work arrangements and on call as the unpredictable timing of labour and birth demands.
(a)-(e) Please see tabled paper no.
(f) WA Country Health Service (WACHS) have experienced a decline in birth numbers in the last three years of around 15% (consistent with metropolitan Perth). The current budgeted midwifery FTE is appropriate to projected service demand using traditional midwifery rostering models which include nursing duties when no midwifery activity.
The contemporary caseload midwifery rostering model (versus the traditional model of having a midwife rostered every shift whether there is midwifery activity or not) means WACHS is able to respond to the unpredictable peak and troughs of midwifery / maternity activity demands using less midwifery FTE, as midwives are able to respond via flexible work arrangements and on call as the unpredictable timing of labour and birth demands.
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