Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care consultation on expanding

Furthermore, the purpose of the Australian College of Midwives (ACM) Guidelines for Consultation and Referral (the ACM Guidelines)2 is to “guide clinical midwifery care,” “detail the clinical indications for engagement of other health care professionals” (p4) and help inform the clinical decision making of midwives working in all models of care. [...] The intent of the ACM Guidelines is not to determine the safety and/or appropriateness of the place of birth but to guide clinical decision making for all midwives regardless of the woman’s chosen place of birth. [...] The ANMF stands for the protection of the rights of women and has significant concerns that the continued over-medicalisation of birth and implementation of narrow risk frameworks threatens the rights of women birthing in Australia, thereby creating further risk for women (and their babies), particularly those who do not wish to enter the acute health care system or have experienced traumatic birt. [...] The ANMF has concerns regarding the viability of home birth services in regional and remote areas and the pipeline for PPMs with the proposed removal of the PII exemption for homebirth and seeks further consultation with the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care to resolve this issue. [...] When midwives and women continue to experience rejection and aggression from other health practitioners and health services in consulting, referring and transferring care to acute settings the safety and quality of care of women is jeopardised regardless of the risk frameworks that are in place.