Australian College of Midwives - NSW Branch Incorporated

Helen Cooke – RN, RM, BHScMan, MNRes, FACM
Project Officer, Fetal Welfare and Obstetric Emergencies Program.
I have been a member of NSWMA for 18 years and have been part of the Executive Committee for over 5 years. Currently I am the treasurer and have been looking after your professional investments for the past 5 years.
I am strongly committed to providing the best possible services for members within the available budget and continue to strive to spend our money wisely keeping membership financially affordable.
As part of the executive I have the opportunity, and am committed to the promotion of midwifery as a profession in it’s own right, and to the ongoing improvement of midwifery standards that ensure safe midwifery practitioners who can offer women the safest and most rewarding levels of midwifery care in a variety of settings.

Ann Grieve
I have given a lot of thought to standing for election to the Executive Committee of the NSW Midwives Association again this year. I believe thjat I have the accumulated skills and knowledge to assist the Association to further its goals and those of midwifery in this state. My work experience is varied including metropolitan and rural hospitals and isolated areas in the devloping world. I am currently a member of the Association’s Professional Development Committee, the Financial Advisory Committee and convene the Constitutional Review Committee. Additionally, I am a member of the ACMI Constitutional Review Committee and the Fellowship Committee.

Suellen Allen
I have been a midwife since 1991 working in various clinical, education and consultant roles and previously as the Policy Adviser at NSW DoH. These positions have provided experience in professional midwifery, strategic maternity service planning and policy development at state and national level. I am currently a full-time PhD student at UTS.
I believe the NSWMA requires a solid consistent strategic framework and governance structure to ensure a progressive and contemporary approach to represent the position of midwives and midwifery. Should I be re-elected I will continue to participate in activities to strengthen the NSWMA position in these areas.

Moira Williamson
I have worked in the midwifery since 1978. During that time I have been employed in a number of clinical, educational and managerial positions with in the public health sector. I was admitted to the Australian College of Midwives as a Fellow in April 1997. I have been the coordinator of the Master of Science (Midwifery) program at the University of Wollongong since mid 1996.
I have been an active member of the NSWMA for 20 years and executive member since 1996. I have also been a member Professional Development Committee (previously known as the Research and Education sub-committee) for this length of time. I have represented the NSW Midwives Association on various NSW Health Department and other relevant committees. I also convene the Scholarship Committee and look forward to receiving and reviewing applications every year.
Being a member of the executive committee allows me to keep up to date with all issues relating to midwifery practice and the midwifery profession. This allows me to actively reflect this knowledge into my professional life as a midwifery educator.
If elected to the NSWMA executive for the next term of office I will continue to work for the benefit of the members of the NSW Midwives Association. Midwifery is continually on the move and midwives voices through the NSWMA will continue to be heard for the benefit of the profession and the women we care for. I will continue to strife with my fellow executive members to be advocate for women at all levels of government to ensure childbearing women and their families are provided with choices that meet their needs.
On a personal note, I am employed on a full time basis, and in my spare time I am currently endeavouring to complete a PhD. My son has just commenced a university degree and I am trying to let go and not keep asking about due dates of assignments etc (he is not amused). I also do the occasional casual shift at Shoalhaven Maternity unit to keep me ‘grounded in midwifery practice’. It is a small regional unit and all the midwives cover all aspects of care. I enjoy working with the midwives (a fantastic team), the mothers and their babies. I look forward to the future challenges of being a member of the NSWMA executive if re elected.

Hannah Dahlen
I have so enjoyed being a part of the Executive Committee of the NSW Midwives Association. Every year I find the words, ‘should I stay or should I go?’ humming around in my head. I reflect on the good and bad times during the years that have gone by and realise the reasons I stay are threefold. Firstly, I am passionately committed to making midwifery the lead option of care for childbearing women in this country. Secondly, I have learnt so much in my role on the Executive, especially regarding politic activity, that I feel I can offer even more than I could before. Thirdly, I still enjoy the challenge this role presents more times than I don’t enjoy it! So, as I re-nominate for the sixth time I will let you the membership decide- ‘should I stay or should I go?’

Joanne Gray
I am currently the Vice-President of the NSW Midwives Association and I have been a member of the executive for 2 years. I am a member of the Conference Committee and the Professional Development Committee. I have thoroughly enjoyed playing such an active role in the Midwives Association and I have learnt so much from working with and for midwives in NSW.
My full time position is with the University of Technology Sydney as Director of Midwifery Studies, and the coordinator of the Bachelor of Midwifery. I also continue to practise as a midwife on a casual basis at Royal North Shore Hospital. I would love to continue to be involved in working with the midwives in NSW through the NSW Midwives Association to support the changes to maternity services and midwifery practice that are so important for women and their families.

Lyn Passant
I am currently employed at Camden and Campbelltown Maternity Units as a CMC. Originally I was employed to help introduce midwifery group practices (MGP) at both units. We now have two MGP up and running both with great outcomes.
I am very passionate about midwives and other health care professionals working together to provide women with the best possible care either in the hospital or the community.
The profile of midwifery growing however there is still lots to do. I feel the best place to help achieve this is at the NSW midwives association. Becoming a member of the Executive Committee recently was initially daunting however, I am becoming more effective and wish to expand on the work of the association.

Rosalee Shaw, Midwifery Consultant, Hunter New England Health
I have been a midwife for a long time.
I have spent my career working in Newcastle and other parts of the Hunter Valley, and now am involved in the larger Hunter New England area.
I have a clear vision of the future of maternity services, and the midwifery profession.
I see strong confident midwives, - educated, responsible, accountable and with clear professional roles.
This vision sees birthing at home, and in small communities with midwives leading. My vision sees birthing networks with links to district and tertiary referral centres, with midwives and obstetricans in collaboration.
I want to end my career having made a difference for midwifery and the women we are with, and for me, part of making a difference is by making a contribution to our professional body - NSWMA.
I firmly believe that NSWMA will play a key role in the future of midwifery.
That's why I drive the 4 hour round trip for meetings !

Tracey Foster

Kate Winston-Smith

Vanessa Clements

Birth Without Intervention: What are the Chances?
http://bmj.com/cgi/content/abstract/321/7254/137

Roberts CL, Tracy S, Peat B. Rates for obstetric intervention among private
and public patients in Australia: a population based descriptive study. BMJ
2000; 321: 137-141

ABSTRACT
Objective: To compare the risk profile of public and private obstetric patients and, among low-risk women to compare obstetric intervention rates.
Design: Cross-sectional analytic study.
Setting: New South Wales, Australia.
Population: All 171,157 women having a live baby during 1996 and 1997.
Main outcome measures: Risk profile of private and public patients; overall intervention rates and the cascade of interventions by both patient and hospital classification (public or private). Interventions included epidural, augmentation or induction of labour, episiotomy, forceps, vacuum or caesarean births.
Results: Among women choosing private obstetric care and those receiving standard public hospital care, overall the frequency of women classified as low-risk was similar, 48%. Among low-risk women, obstetric intervention rates were highest for private patients in private hospitals, lowest in public patients, with intermediate rates for private patients in public hospitals. Among primiparous women 17% of private patients in private hospitals achieved a vaginal birth without any intervention compared with 40% of public patients. For multiparous women the rates were 37% and 66% respectively. Private patients were significantly more likely to have interventions prior to birth (epidural, induction or augmentation) but this alone did not account for the increased interventions at birth, particularly the high rates of instrumental births.
Conclusions: The chance of birth without intervention is low for women who choose private obstetric care. Women should have equal access to quality maternity services, but information on the outcomes associated with the various models of care may influence their choices.