KEY POINTS:
It may be time to take stock of maternity services in New Zealand, a senior obstetrician says.
Dr Anil Sharma, of Auckland's Birthright Obstetricians, said funding for midwives, the relationships between midwives and doctors, and recruitment of midwives and obstetricians could all be improved.
Sharma, who has practised for almost 20 years in Britain and New Zealand, said shortages of midwives and GP obstetricians meant the maternity system was not functioning as well as it could.
"We have a good system that allows better choice than virtually any other country in the world, but it has to be judged on quality as well."
The long hours and stressful work were putting some people off becoming midwives or obstetricians, Sharma said.
He said "dysfunctional relationships" between some midwives and doctors led to problems in care for some patients.
Doctors could charge higher fees for maternity care than midwives, which could lead to resentment, and obstetricians often felt like technicians when left to attend only at the end of the pregnancy process.
College of Midwives chief executive Karen Guilliland said some things were going very well in maternity care, such as one-on-one care for 96 per cent of women, and a lower rate of birth trauma for Kiwi mothers compared with other countries.
"No matter how good we are, we always look for improvements," she said. "One of the issues around that is looking after your midwifery workforce. There's not always the support for the workforce that there should be."
Meanwhile, National Women's is conducting an urgent investigation into the death of 33-year-old Renee Bayliss who died after giving birth at Auckland City Hospital.
This week, the hospital refused to say what it was doing in the inquiry, how long it was expected to take, or even who was in charge.
"Out of respect for Renee's family and their privacy, we are unable to make any further statements," a health board spokeswoman said.
The family is still too upset to speak about the loss.
National Women's Health general manager Kay Hyman yesterday confirmed that was the only inquiry under way at the hospital.
Clarification: In this article, Dr Anil Sharma spoke about the need for improvements within maternity services. Dr Sharma suggested it was a good time to take stock of maternity care in New Zealand. The Herald on Sunday accepts that Dr Sharma's comments did not relate to a recent maternal death at National Women's Hospital and apologises for any confusion.
