Locum midwife to join Lumsden hub to provide interim support

A locum midwife will be commencing a role based at the Lumsden hub for the next two weeks, as stakeholders continue to work on longer term support for the LMC midwives in Northern Southland.
 
A meeting was held in Gore on Monday night, as a follow up to a previous meeting of representatives from Southern DHB, Local Midwives, GPs, Ministry of Health, NZ College of Midwives, Gore Health and the Northern Southland Medical Trust.  It was chaired by Gore District Mayor Tracy Hicks.
 
The group reported that good progress has been made in providing interim maternity support in the area.
 
The locum role, to be facilitated through the National Midwifery Rural Locum Scheme, which is funded by the Ministry of Health, is part of a short-term solution while further discussions about the longer-term requirements to support the demand for LMC midwives in the area are undertaken.
 
The stakeholder group agreed this would ideally involve a further LMC working in the Lumsden/ Te Anau area, to help LMCs better support one another and meet the needs of women.
 
LMC midwives are paid directly by the Ministry of Health, and ongoing discussions with LMCs, the Ministry, College of Midwives and Gore Health will explore how to develop this workforce in a way that is both clinically and financially sustainable in the context of this rural community.
 
Mayor Hicks again thanked all participants at the meeting, and acknowledged the progress being made by the group.
 
“It has been valuable to explore some of the underlying challenges for providing a sustainable maternity service in the Northern Southland area, and approach this constructively.
 
“We are pleased to be able to report that a locum was secured quickly, and know this will alleviate some pressure in the short term.”