midwives. (read this article below) We set up an online petition which had a great response. In June 2007, this petition was sent to the Minister for Health and the INO. The INO quickly responded to inform us that they would be extending insurance cover until 31st March 2008 and that they were in talks with the State Claims Agency for the purposes of having them assume the provision of the insurance after March 2008. The March 31st deadline has come and this sadly has not happened. Initial reports are that the insurance cover will be extended for a further 6 months. After this time, the Independent Midwives and home birth mothers could be facing the same uncertainties once again. Independent midwives perform a vital and unique role in Childbirth in Ireland. Home birth is both safe and cost effective. Research has shown that Home Birth is as safe or safer than hospital births for low-risk women (approx. 85% of pregnant women)
are putting further pressure on already limited resources. For many women, Home Birth is the only safe option. These women are being put at risk if this issue is allowed to continue unresolved. AIMS Ireland are asking that you contact The Minister for Health, The INO, local politicians and other influential bodies to express your concern over this matter. If you would like to write a letter or begin a letter writing campaign, you can use the AIMSI template as a starting point. This template can be downloaded / printed from here: Independent Midwives Letter ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Delegates from AIMS Ireland with Minister Harney AIMS Ireland attended a meeting with Mary Harney, minister for Health on Friday 14th December. There were 4 main issues of concern discussed at this meeting: 1. The publication of Annual Clinical Reports and Maternity Hospital Statistics. In order to capture nationally and uniformly the rates of intervention and outcomes across all hospitals. We feel this is vital, in order for women to make informed choices when choosing a hospital and in order to allow monitoring of hospital procedures. This allows easy comparison with international best practice and would also pick up on serious deviations from the norm, as with the Dr. Michael Neary case. 2. The creation of National Guidelines for Clinical Practice in Maternity Care. These guidelines need to reflect international best practice such as that published by the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE), the Royal College of Midwives (RCM), the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) and the World Health Organisation. It is unacceptable for practices in Irish Maternity Hospitals to deviate for that which is regard as best international best practice. 3. A National Independent Consultative / Auditing Body to oversee the writing and implementation f the National Guidelines. This body would monitor and compare stats from all hospitals and investigate discrepancies in these figures. They would then take appropriate action, where necessary. They would also deal with complaints from consumers and health professionals in a clear, structured and independent manner. It is vital that this body would have representation from all stakeholders, including healthcare professionals and consumers. 4. Changing the Health Amendment Act 1991 to allow women who choose Midwifery Led care to access private beds on an equal footing to those who choose Obstetrician Led care on a private basis. Currently legalisation on this issue prevents women from choosing the health care provider which is the most appropriate care giver to the majority of pregnant women, according to the World Health Organisation. If you agree with the above Maternity Care Monitoring Structures, please write to the Minister for Health Ms. Mary Harney, or your local representative, to ask for these changes to be implemented. Breda Kerans AIMS Ireland December 18th 2007
positions are Secretary and Events CoOrdinator. Any Individuals interested in nominating themselves for a Committee Position with AIMS Ireland, please contact us for more information: info @aimsireland.com Committee Members should be: ~ members of AIMS Ireland ~ have the ability to perform the role in which they nominate themselves – both in skill and time commitments ~ As per the AIMS Ireland Constitution, AIMS groups are lay groups for lay people, therefore the Committee should be lay people.
AIMS Ireland Bulletin Board Launches AIMS Ireland is pleased to announce the launch of our new Bulletin Board. We hope that our members will find it a great source of information, up-to-date discussion and somewhere to ask questions and get advice on all aspects of Maternity Care, Pregnancy, Birth etc. To register / view, check out: http://aimsireland.com/phpbb September 20th 2007 AIMS Ireland seeks Translators AIMS Ireland is aware of the difficulties facing some non-nationals navigating the Irish healthcare system. We are therefore very interested in providing information to women who do not speak English. We are also interested in assisting women with any cultural issues that may arise. We are currently seeking volunteers who would be willing to translate information for us for our website & information brochures. Volunteers would need a good understanding of written English as well as their native language. We are also interested in recruiting Bi-lingual Community Support Representatives (CSRs). These would be volunteers who would be willing to act as liaisons between AIMS Ireland and the women who come to us for help. Volunteers would need a good understanding of English as well as their native language. We are also seeking CSRs from the Travelling Community. We are looking for volunteers nationwide so please pass this information on to anyone you see fit For further information please contact AIMS Ireland at: info @aimsireland.com ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Concerned about Maternity Provision in your area? AIMS IRELAND SEEKS COMMUNITY VOLUNTEERS & MEMBERS Poor facilities, over-crowding, lack of mother-friendly birth choices, poor hygiene, poor post natal support, high rates of induction, intervention and c-section, difficulty booking first preference of care, conveyor belt maternity care… AIMS Ireland seeks new members and volunteers to help tackle these issues and more in your area. Over-crowded, understaffed hospitals coupled with the use of outdated policies and restrictions are adversely affecting thousands of women every year. Having a baby should be a wonderful experience for the woman and her family, but unfortunately, in Ireland today, that isn’t always the case. Irish women are becoming increasingly concerned about the service they receive during and after pregnancy. As a non-profit organisation, members play a huge role in our success. Our members include mothers, fathers and health care professionals. We currently have active members from a number of regions in Ireland, but feel that not all areas are adequately covered. As we wish to offer nation-wide support, we are currently seeking members from all areas to become Community Support Representatives. Our desire is for AIMS Ireland to benefit women in all areas of Ireland equally. We believe that in order to focus on each regional area of Ireland we must have local representatives who can update us on the issues specific to their region or hospital. Community Support Representatives will be asked to assist in communications between AIMS Ireland and women in their area, to find out what is affecting women in your local area, to inform women of our current campaigns, surveys, and of the services we offer. If you have concerns about maternity provision in your region and would like to make improvements or become a Community Support Rep, please contact us at: info @aimsireland.com If you would like to support us but cannot commit to becoming a CSR, you can help by taking up membership or making a donation, please email membership@aimsireland.com. If you have been affected by your experience of the maternity services and think we can help you, please e-mail us in confidence at support @aimsireland.com July 2007 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hope for Independent Midwives Earlier this year, the Irish Nurses Organisation (INO) announced that from September 30, 2007 they will cease to offer insurance cover to Independent Midwives. This is a devastating blow to Ireland's hardworking Independent Midwives and for the women all across the Country who desire home births. AIMS Ireland set up an online petition and asked for you to show support for Independent Midwives and the tremendous services they offer by adding your signature to the petition. We received a fantastic response and sent the petition to the INO, the Minister for Health and the HSE in July. The INO quickly responded to inform us that they will now be extending insurance cover until 31st March 2008 and that they are currently in talks with the State Claims Agency for the purposes of having them assume the provision of the insurance after March 2008. It looks like good news for the Independent Midwives and for home birth mothers! We wish to thank everyone who took the time to sign the petition and to voice their concerns. 02 Aug 2007 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HSE Review of Maternity & Gynaecology Services
The HSE are inviting members of the public, health professionals and interested parties to make comments or submissions on the development maternity and gynaecology services in the Greater Dublin Area. Submissions received will inform the work of the review and contribute to the success of this important project. When this review is complete they will publish an independent report which will include recommendations and an action plan for the development of consistently high quality, safe and sustainable maternity and gynaecology care services in both community and hospital settings in the Greater Dublin Area. Please send your written comment or submission to: Email: dublinobsandgynreview@kpmg.co.uk Or Post : Review of Maternity & Gynaecology Services in the Greater Dublin Area Team, KPMG, 1 Stokes Place, St. Stephens Green, Dublin 2 AIMS Ireland will be making a submission to the HSE and would like to include as many views and ideas as possible. If you prefer not to submit as an individual, send your input to us and we will include it in our submission. Submissions should be received by Monday August 6th 2007. For more information, visit the HSE Website http://www.hse.ie (Polish version) Ocena uslug ginekologicznych & polozniczych w Dublinie iotaczajacych go regionach. Organ Wykonawczy Sluzby Zdrowia(HSE Heath Services Executive) Ocena uslug ginekologicznych& polozniczych w Dublinie iotaczajacych go regionach. Zostal rozpoczety program przemian i transformacji w luzbie Zdrowia. rgan ykonawczy luzby Zdrowia ma na celu stworzenie uslug zdrowotnych i opieki socjalnej, które beda latwo dostepne, do których opinia publiczna bedzie miec zaufanie i z których personel medyczny bedzie dumny. Jako czesc tego ambitnego programu zmian rozpoczelismy dokladna ocene wszystkich uslug polozniczych i ginekologicznych, które sa zapewniane w Dublinie, hrabstwie Dublin'a i przyleglych regionach. Gdy zostana zakonczone przeprowadzane oceny, zostanie opublikowany niezalezny raport, w sklad którego wejda zalecenia i rekomendacje, plan dziala- nia majacy na celu stworzenie wysokiej jakosci, bez- piecznych i trwalych uslug ginekologicznych i polozniczych w Dublinie i otaczajacych go regionach. nioski oparte beda na anstwa ocenie i przyczynia sie do sukcesu tego waznego projektu. rosze wyslac swoje pisemne komentarze lub kon- kluzje na adres: email: dublinbsandGynreview@kpmg.co.uk listy: review of maternity & Gynaecology services in the Greater Dublin Area Team, KPMG, 1 Stokes Place, St Stephen's Green Dublin 2 Prosze nadsylac swoje oceny do 6 siempnia 2007 roku Po wiecej informacji proze wejsc na strone inter-netowa stuzby zdrowia: http://www.hse.ie ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AIMS officially launches in Ireland! Making Maternity Care Matter Irish women are increasingly disappointed with the 'conveyor belt' feel of Ireland's overcrowded maternity services. Currently , the Irish statistics for induction, routine intervention and c-section births are dangerously high when compared to WHO guidelines. AIMS Ireland is dedicated to campaigning for improvements in the Maternity Services, to promote the normal birthing process and Mother-friendly initiatives including birth choices and midwife-led initiatives. We also provide independent, confidential support for women and their families. AIMS Ireland celebrated their official launch on May 15th by visiting Drogheda's Midwife Led Unit, followed by a Press meeting and information session in the City North Hotel. The day was a huge success and was attended by representatives of AIMS Ireland, consumers and midwives. AIMS Ireland also invited all political parties to send a representative to the event and we would like to thank Fine Gael MEP Mairead McGuinness for taking time out of her busy election campaign to attend and show her support for AIMS Ireland. Tireless campaigner, Beverley Beech, Chair of AIMS (UK) flew in especially for the event and gave a talk on the History of AIMS and her hopes for AIMS Ireland. "Meeting with Irish women and hearing their stories about their experiences of maternity care was like travelling through time and arriving thirty years ago", said Beverley Beech. "While maternity care in the UK has moved on in that time, Irish maternity care appears predominately to have moved only in the direction of more interventions. What is truly appalling about maternity care in Ireland is the lack of information and the misinformation that abounds. I was given a book written by the former Master of Holles Street, Peter Boylan, which is shot through with glaring errors. If a senior obstetrician cannot get his facts straight is it any wonder that the women have little idea of just how medicalised maternity care is in Ireland? AIMS Ireland has a monumental task changing maternity care for the better, but we will do all we can to help them." We would like to give a special thanks to the mothers and to the dedicated staff of the MLU in Drogheda for giving us a tour of the wonderful unit and for answering our questions. Louise McCann of AIMS Ireland said "I was so impressed with the facilities in the MLU. The suites are spacious, tastefully decorated, air conditioned rooms with all medical equipment neatly concealed in built-in wardrobes. Each room is fully sound-proofed, has a large labour pool, TV, cd player, en-suite bathroom, fridge, tea / coffee making facilities and more importantly, a comfy sofa bed for the fathers who are encouraged to stay with the mother and her newborn. They are obviously designed for comfort and with families in mind. The staff are so dedicated to making sure that the mothers and their families get the highest standards of care. I was a bit sad that there's nothing remotely like this available to me to have my next baby. I wish there was an MLU available to me and to all women that would like to use such a facility but the unfortunate reality is that there is not. Even here, the good word has spread about the MLU and now the demand means that this year, for the first time since this unit opened, and to the obvious disappointment of the staff, they are having to turn women away." We would like to thank everyone that turned up on the day and everyone that sent us messages of support in their absence. We were delighted with the amount of idea's and feedback we got from consumers. It is so important to know what the people we are representing want us to do for them and we certainly hope to be able to achieve all these things. We would also like to thank the various media who covered the event including The Irish Times, 2Fm, Newstalk, The Drogheda Leader, Woman's Way and TV3. Keep watching and listening for these interviews. Beverley Beech with some AIMS Ireland representatives and invited guests AIMS Ireland has focused on three campaigns for 2007: Health, Safety & Hygiene - In the 2006 Hospitals Hygiene Audit only 1 hospital offering maternity services ranked in the “good” hygiene category. This is reflected in the fact that women giving birth in hospital are often unhappy or concerned with poor hygiene on wards and in bathrooms. Implementation of safety measures for mothers and newborns during their stay in hospital. Particular attention needs to be paid to mothers who may be incapable of safely caring of their newborn(s) following surgery etc. National Guidelines – The creation and implementation of National Guidelines for Obstetric Procedures based on WHO guidelines. The publication of clinical reports and Hospital statistics and a National, Independent, Consultative body to monitor statistics and to deal with complaints. Mother-Friendly Birth Choices – Midwife led initiatives such as domino schemes, home birth options, MLU, and birthing centres to be made more readily available as a choice for women experiencing normal pregnancies. This is essential in order to free up vital beds in maternity hospitals for women who chose to give birth in hospitals or those with high risk pregnancies. To promote and encourage choices to the labouring woman such as reinstating water births in Ireland, choice of birthing positions, additional birthing partners and other evidence based birthing practices. For more information please email: info @aimsireland.com ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you have a story or information you would like to share with us, please email us at: info @aimsireland.com |
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AIMS Ireland's core Issues Raised in the Seanad
Senator Ivana Bacik: I ask the Deputy Leader for a debate on maternity services. Speakers have called for debates on other aspects of the health services but it is important for us to focus on the state of maternity services in our hospitals. I met last week with an organisation called the Association for Improvements in the Maternity Services - Ireland, a group formed last year by mothers dissatisfied with the services they had encountered in hospitals. They are a consumer-led campaign group, the members of which I understand have already met the Minister and who are prioritising, in particular, the publication of annual clinical reports and statistics on maternity hospitals. It is appalling that in 2008 we still do not have full statistics, for example, on rates of induction and Caesarian sections across our hospitals. Such a proper reporting system would also help us to pick up on serious deviations from the norm and bring about prevention of future appalling tragedies like the Dr. Neary tragedy. The creation of national guidelines for clinical practice in maternity care is another priority for the association. We should have a debate on that and on a national independent auditing body for maternity services. We would do better in this House if we debated positive steps to improve maternity and reproductive health services rather than spending our time criticising and sniping at independent experts who have been appointed by the Government to deal with issues such as the bioethics issue addressed earlier. We should not impugn the integrity and independence of such experts simply because some Members do not like the results or outcome of their research. |