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Introduction of the Nurses Amendment Bill in Parliament

Abstract:

Mr Speaker, I move that the Nurses Amendment Bill be introduced. Although the Bill has only two clauses, it will have a significant impact on the delivery of childbirth services, and the practice of midwifery. This bill will enable a midwife to take responsibility for the care of a woman throughout her pregnancy, childbirth, and post natal period. At present Section 54 of the Nurses Act 1977 makes it an offence for a midwife to provide a service unless a medical practitioner has undertaken responsibility for the care of the client. At present, subsections (1) and (2) of Section 54 of the principal Act have the effect of prohibiting a person from carrying out obstetric nursing if responsibility for the care is undertaken solely by a registered midwife. Such responsibility may be undertaken only by a medical practitioner. The effect of the clause is to allow a registered midwife to undertake sole responsibility for the care of the patient in such cases. This places a registered midwife in the same position as a medical practitioner for the purposes of Section 54.

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Nurses Amendment Act, professional midwifery autonomy