Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Londoners Seek Maternity Advice From Waikato
9/08/2007
Londoners Seek Maternity Advice From Waikato
Waikato District Health Board health services general manager Jan Adams is to deliver a paper on the provision of New Zealand maternity services to top London health officials early Friday morning (NZ time). The invitation from National Health Service (NHS) London, the strategic health authority in England's capital city, came following the publication of an independent review which advocated major changes to London's healthcare.
The document makes several key recommendations some of which mirror what New Zealand adopted for its maternity services more than a decade ago. Mrs Adams, who trained and worked as a nurse and midwifery sister in the UK before immigrating to New Zealand in 1992, said NHS London was interested in moving to a system where midwives took more of a lead role in the delivery of maternity care. Mrs Adams will tell the high-ranking health officials, including obstetricians, nurses and midwives that New Zealand's infant mortality rate fell steadily since 1976 – from 13.9 deaths per thousand to 5.11 deaths.
She says better care of pregnant women, improved neonatal care and enhanced antenatal screen were part of the reason for the decline. "Maternity services provided to women and their families throughout pregnancy, childbirth and the first six weeks of a baby's life along with the services provided by a range of health professionals, including midwives, general practitioners, obstetricians and Plunket Nurses, are also critical," she will say.
Mrs Adams is to present a birthing profile on the Waikato DHB which shows: • Majority giving birth in Waikato are European (57%) • Maori are younger (16-24) • 44% are teenagers • Maori tend to have more pregnancies, often five to seven times more than European • Maori women highly represented in most deprived NZ deciles • Maori prefer to birth at home or in primary birthing facilities • Maori women prefer midwife as lead maternity carer model (81 per cent), higher than national rate of 73 per cent • Maori has higher normal birth rate (79.5 per cent) and slightly lower perinatal mortality rate than national rate (2002)
The presentation is the highlight of a 10-day tour undertaken by Mrs Adams to the UK to observe health system innovations.
Mrs Adams heads Health Waikato, Waikato DHB's hospital and health services provider arm, with responsibility for a budget of $526 million, a population of 340,000 and in excess of 3500 staff at five hospitals, two continuing care facilities, and the Henry Bennett Centre Mental Health facility in Hamilton, community services, population health, estate and engineering and general support services.
She said visits to the NHS Institute for Innovation at Warwick University, hospitals in Sheffield, Luton and London had been very useful and would form part of a review she is completing on Health Waikato.
"You don't come away from a visit like this without bringing back ideas and they don't all cost money," she said. Mrs Adams has not worked in the British health system since 1992. She said the biggest change she had noticed was the standard of cleanliness and service.
"Years ago people ignored you (in hospital) here.
"Now hospitals are very customer friendly, they're easy to find your way around and give patients choices including telling them regularly how long they will be waiting."
At Luton Hospital, an organisation about the same size as Waikato DHB and with similar financial constraints, a number of significant changes had been made. "They don't have lots of money but they engage staff and talk to patients before they make small but significant changes." Mrs Adams was guest at the NHS London board meeting yesterday and returns to New Zealand immediately after delivering her paper tomorrow.
ENDS
Waikato District Health Board
Healthy People. Excellent Care
Waikato District Health Board (DHB) employs over 6500 people and plans, funds and provides hospital and health services to more than 391,770 people in a region covering eight per cent of New Zealand.
Race Unity Speech Awards: Students’ Vision For A United Future - Embrace Our Differences
Commonwealth Foundation: Commonwealth Short Story Prize 2026 Regional Winners Announced
Doc Edge Festival: World Press Photo And Doc Edge Comes To Auckland In Landmark Exhibition Merger
Whakarongorau Aotearoa: International Nurses Day - Healthline Nurses Help 800 New Zealanders A Day
NZ Psychological Society: Remembering The Past Guides Our Future 
New Zealand Olympic Committee: Motherhood In Focus For Wāhine Toa Graduates Ahead Of Mother's Day