9 out of 10 women happy with maternity care
Hon Steve Chadwick
Associate Minister of Health
9 May
2008
Media Statement
9 out of 10 women happy with
maternity care
Nine out of 10 women are happy with the maternity care they received, according to the report on the Maternity Services Consumer Satisfaction Survey 2007 launched today by Associate Health Minister Steve Chadwick.
"This is wonderful news for New Zealand women and their families. The survey demonstrates that our services are working well for the vast majority of women," Steve Chadwick said.
“Ninety per cent women gave birth and received post-natal care where they wanted to, and a similar proportion expressed overall satisfaction with their hospital stay.”
The survey also showed that women are better informed about maternity services and the majority felt well looked after by their lead maternity carer (LMC).
“Women, midwives and other maternity providers highly
value our model of care and the seamless maternity services
provided in New Zealand. I congratulate all the people and
organisations that provide and support maternity services
for their care and effort.”
The survey canvassed the
views of 2936 women who gave birth to live babies
in New
Zealand during March and April 2007. The objective of the
survey was to obtain women’s perceptions of maternity
services, and to assess whether there has been any change
since women were last surveyed in 2002.
All key areas of maternity services (antenatal care, lead maternity care, hospital stay, and postnatal care) scored satisfaction levels of 90 per cent or higher.
“Compared to 2002, the latest survey found a greater percentage of women had difficulty finding a suitable LMC – this was not a surprise to us but is something the government and sector groups are working together to address.”
To address the shortage of midwives, the Ministry of Health has implemented a range of initiatives, including a pilot scheme to mentor first-year midwifery graduates as they join the workforce, providing funding support for rural midwives who face high travel costs, and increasing pay rates under the Section 88 Notice.
"New Zealand has a world class maternity system. These results show there have been improvements in key aspects of care and reflect a very high level of satisfaction with maternity services," Steve Chadwick said.
The report is available at: www.moh.govt.nz/maternity
Speech available at: www.beehive.govt.nz/chadwick
--
Maternity Services Consumer Satisfaction Survey 2007
Summary of key findings
Overall
findings
Overall the survey showed a very high level of
satisfaction with maternity services and indicated that the
vast majority of women are happy with the maternity care
they received. The key areas of maternity services –
antenatal care, lead maternity care, hospital stay, and
postnatal care – all scored satisfaction levels of 90 per
cent or higher.
Antenatal Care
* 96 percent were
satisfied with the care they received (78 percent said they
felt “well looked after” and 18 percent felt that the
care was satisfactory)
* women report high levels of
satisfaction with care from Specialist Obstetricians
*
89 percent received information about immunisation and 95
percent of these women decided to immunise their baby
*
43 percent attended antenatal class – 78 percent of first
time mothers attended
* 19 percent reported difficulty
finding an LMC.
* there was a very low rate of
attendance at antenatal classes among Maori and Pacific
women (around 25 percent).
Labour and Birth Care
* 86
percent were able to give birth in the facility of their
choice
* 94 percent said communication between LMC and
specialist was either satisfactory or excellent
* 82
percent felt well looked-after by LMC
* 85 percent felt
ready to leave hospital
* 18 percent reported pain relief
was not satisfactory in some way
* there was an increase
in proportion of women discharged within 12 hours to 14
percent (from 8 percent)
* some women were dissatisfied
with their hospital care, and 2 percent were very
dissatisfied.
Post Natal Care
* 92 percent were in
their facility of choice
* 90 percent were satisfied with
number of home visits
* 91 percent rated the advice they
received about feeding as either good or
excellent.
Questions and Answers
Who was
surveyed?
2,936 women who gave birth to live babies in
New Zealand during March and April 2007.
What did the
survey show?
Overall the survey showed a very high level
of satisfaction with maternity services and indicated that
the vast majority of women are happy with the maternity care
they received. The key areas of maternity services –
antenatal care, lead maternity care, hospital stay, and
postnatal care – all scored satisfaction levels of 90 per
cent or higher. The survey also indicated that new and
expectant mothers are well informed about maternity
services.
The survey also raised some issues for us to look at, including an increase in women having difficulty finding a Lead Maternity Carer (LMC), and women who reported not feeling ready to leave hospital. A small percentage of women were not satisfied with some aspects of services.
How will the survey results inform policy or
improve maternity services?
The survey report will be
forwarded to the Maternity Services Strategic Advisory
Group. The Group will assist the Ministry and DHBs to
develop a strategic vision for maternity services and advise
on implementation issues and priorities. It will also be
circulated to DHBs to guide them in planning and improving
services.
How does NZ's maternity system compare to other
systems internationally?
New Zealand’s maternity
services compare well to other first world nations. Our
workforce issues are common to the health sectors of other
first world health systems. Our childhood outcomes rank
similarly to comparable countries.
What has improved since
2002?
The survey shows there have been many
improvements, including:
* a higher percentage (90 %) of
women gave birth and received post-natal care where they
wanted or intended to
* a higher proportion of women
expressed overall satisfaction with their hospital stay (90%
were either very satisfied or satisfied)
* expectant
mothers are better informed about maternity services
* an
increased proportion of women know they have to register
with a LMC and know who their Well Child provider is
*
women are more aware of the need for antenatal tests and
immunisation
* post-natal home visits made by LMCs have
increased over the last five years
* ninety-six percent
of babies were referred for the six-week GP check.
What is
being done to further improve maternity services?
* the
establishment of the Maternity Services Strategic Advisory
Group, which will report back to the Minister in about six
months with a strategic plan for maternity services
*
funding for midwives increased by around $11.4 million
annually from July 2007
* the Ministry of Health has
introduced a one-year mentoring pilot support programme for
new graduate midwives (worth $4.7 million over two years)
– early indications are that this is helping to retain new
graduates
* the Ministry funds the New Zealand College of
Midwives to run a rural locum register – putting available
midwives in touch with regions that need them
* the
Ministry is in discussions with District Health Boards New
Zealand about a coordinated overseas recruitment drive
designed to increase the number of both LMC and core
midwives
* the Tertiary Education Commission is
undertaking a review of midwifery training needs
* the
Minister has asked the Ministry to report to her on funding
for ongoing professional development, similar to what
doctors already receive.
What is being done to make it
easier for pregnant women to find an LMC?
There is a
free-phone service that provides a list of LMCs available in
the woman's area. Where LMCs are not available, the DHB
provides care. The Ministry of Health, district health
boards, the Midwifery Council, midwifery training schools
and the Immigration Service are all taking steps to assist
with the recruitment (and retention) of midwives from New
Zealand and from overseas.
What is being done to make
antenatal classes more accessible, particularly for Maori
and Pacific women?
Antenatal classes appear to attract
low numbers of Maori and Pacific women. District health
boards will need to consider the issues raised by the survey
and consider whether the existing antenatal education
programmes need to be changed, or whether new programmes and
providers are needed to address the needs of Maori and
Pacific women.
Why do some women leave hospital within 12
hours after birth?
Some women plan and/or choose to leave
within 12 hours of birth. With midwifery and family/whanau
support, women often feel better in their own environment,
particularly if it is their second or subsequent child.
LMCs are required to visit within 24 hours of discharge and
must provide a minimum of seven postnatal visits over 4-6
weeks and as many other visits as are required.
Are there
national guidelines on how long a woman should stay in the
hospital after giving birth?
There is no international
standard as to how long women should stay in hospital after
giving birth. There are also no national guidelines and
practice varies across DHBs. It is a joint decision made by
the women and her LMC. Nationally the average length of
stay following a birth in a maternity facility is 2.9
days.
What is a Lead Maternity Carer?
A Lead Maternity
Carer is a midwife, an obstetrician or a GP with a diploma
in obstetrics or equivalent, selected by a woman to provide
her
care.
ENDS