Swan Hill District Health (SHDH) midwifery acting nurse unit manager Cheryl Delmenico said there was a statewide shortage of midwives, but especially in northern Victoria.
“I don’t think anyone knows why there is shortage,” she said.
“There has been lots of models and high-level work done, but COVID-19 hasn’t helped.
“We don’t have midwives coming from overseas so much now … that’s how heavily we rely on them.”
SHDH has a number of graduate and registered midwife vacancies, including a midwife unit manager.
Ms Delmenico said graduates probably wanted to begin their career at larger health services.
“At a smaller centre, however, you get a well-rounded practice and education,” she said.
There were shortages in Swan Hill and Echuca, and larger hospitals in Bendigo and Mildura.
“Robinvale has cover with one single midwife who has been doing a fantastic job for a long time,” Ms Delmenico said.
“I’m unsure if it’s an increase in choice that people have these days.”
Ms Delmenico said there was a surge in babies being delivered at SHDH in the past 18 months because of lockdowns.
“I feel like now people are holding off because of the uncertainty at the moment,” she said.
“So we have returned to a stable flow.
“We might care for roughly 30 women antenatally, and share that care with Bendigo.”
The Safe Patient Care Act 2015 requires a safe midwives-to-patients ratio, so occasionally a diversion will be organised in which safe birthing alternatives will be sought and offered to women during a period of midwife shortage or on the occasion that an obstetrician is unavailable.
Ms Delmenico said SHDH delivered up to 200 babies per year.
“This week we had a lady that was booked in at Mildura but because of lockdown there, she birthed here … the landscape is changing,” she said.
She said working in a regional midwifery ward was “rounded and varied”.
“Once you’ve done your training, people tend to work in the labour ward, antenatal, and postnatal care, whereas here, you are rounded and varied,” she said.
“You also get to know the staff because there’s eight full-time and some part-time midwives who are working here.”
SHDH recently welcomed a student midwife from South Australia and encouraged others to follow.
Ms Delmenico has been a midwife since 1983.
“I haven’t always worked in midwifery because working here in Swan Hill means I’ve as well worked in dialysis, chemotherapy, district nursing, the ward – the only place I haven’t is theatre,” she said.
“Ten of the 13 years I was in dialysis and chemo, then came here to the midwife unit for six months and then been here for the past 11 years.”
She said she had lost count of the number of babies she had delivered.
There had been no roadside deliveries, but a few babies were almost welcomed into the world in the hospital carpark.
“I just enjoy seeing the mums throughout the antenatal period, then seeing them become more confident, going home safely and feeling that they have got the skill,” Ms Delmenico said.
She said visitation limits during lockdowns were treated as the prime period for family bonding.
“We at least tried to ensure new mums had that one support person,” she said.
“Even though there were limited visits, I think in some ways the benefit was they really became that unit caring for that baby and bonded together.
“(They) might not have been able to have the dad come for antenatal visits, but anything to do with the labour ward and birth and afterwards, they were able to stay.
“Every birth is a really joyous occasion, but there’s always that risk aspect, and as a team we manage the occasional sad side that’s not spoken about.
“Not every pregnancy has a joyful outcomes, people have miscarriages.
“But it’s mainly a happy place to be.
“Helping build families, and the future of the town.”
Ms Delmenico said the midwifery unit wasn’t going anywhere – it just needed more midwives to join the existing team.
Government goes recruiting
THE Victorian Government will recruit up to 1000 health care workers, including midwives, now living overseas, as part of a package designed to help ease the pressure on staff.
The group will include both returning Australian health workers and international recruits.
These professionals will be nurses, doctors, midwives and allied health professionals, recruited on the basis of service and system needs.
Health Minister Martin Foley said: “We understand there are many Australian health care workers overseas keen to return home and roll up their sleeves to help the local workforce at our most critical time.”
“This is about easing the pressure placed on our paramedics, nurses, midwives, doctors and other health professionals by helping more health care workers to seamlessly return to these crucial jobs that need to be done.”
