ACM supports the Commonwealth’s decision to extend the current insurance exemption for privately practising midwives offering homebirth care for an additional two years to 2023.
This important issue remains a priority for ACM’s advocacy team who have been working closely with the Commonwealth, midwifery leaders, insurance industry experts, and consumers to develop an appropriate solution.
The safety of women and their babies is paramount, and ACM strongly advocates for the availability of a suitable professional indemnity insurance solution. ACM’s focus is on an insurance solution that provides cover for private practice midwives who offer homebirth.
ACM was instrumental in recent changes to the Medical Professional Indemnity Scheme (MPIS) that enables privately practising midwives to access professional indemnity insurance without having to be sole owners of a midwifery practice. This change provides greater flexibility for midwives in private practice and provides increased choice for women seeking private models of care.
Private practice midwives are a growing portion of the Australian midwifery workforce. Continuing work is vital to ensure that the increasing number of women seeking out private midwifery can access their preferred model of care.Evidence continues to demonstrate that midwifery continuity of care is gold standard and produces excellent outcomes for women and babies, yet less than 10% of women have access to these models of care. A viable insurance solution is integral to increasing access for women.
“ACM is committed to finding the right, future proof insurance solution that benefits both midwives and women.” said Kellie Wilton, Principal Midwifery Officer.
“All women in Australia should have access to midwifery care in a model of their choice. Whether that is in a hospital or in a home or somewhere in between, ACM will continue to work towards a solution that meets the needs of midwives and increases access to midwifery care for women.”
“It’s essential that an insurance solution supports private practice midwives and increases choice and safety for women, and we’ll stick with this until a solution is found” she concluded.
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Contact:
ACM Principal Midwifery Officer Kellie Wilton 0409 980 745
About ACM:
The Australian College of Midwives is the peak professional body for midwives in Australia. Together we are working towards building a resilient midwifery workforce for the future by advocating for the profession at a government level, promoting the benefits of midwifery care to the wider community and ensuring midwives in Australia are supported with industry information, quality education, career development and personal support through all stages of their career.