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Report on mapping the rural midwifery workforce in New Zealand for 2008

Abstract:

In December 2008, the Midwifery and Maternity Providers Organisation commissioned by the Ministry of Health completed the ‘mapping’ of the rural midwifery workforce in New Zealand. It covered the localities of all 52 rural primary maternity hospitals that were spread throughout the country. Findings indicated that just under a quarter of all birthing women and a quarter of LMC midwives lived closer to a rural primary maternity facility than a base obstetric hospital. With only two facilities having LMC medical practitioners and only 13 having 24/7 medical cover, rural maternity facilities in this country were reliant predominantly on local midwives to maintain their local maternity services. The mapping also highlighted features that appeared to sustain a local midwifery workforce in rural localities as well as identifying some common features of rural localities struggling to retain their midwifery and consequently their maternity workforce.

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midwifery shortage, midwifery workforce, rural, rural maternity facility