Structure of the midwifery service in New Zealand

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When I have checked my statistics (see bottom of this page) I seem to have a few overseas visitors to my blog. I decided it might be good idea to post a diagram of my interpretation of the structure of midwifery services in New Zealand [see above]. I created this file in Gliffy. this is the first thing I have created in Gliffy, so it may look a little rough around the edges.

Now a small explanation of this diagram. I have also made an audio recording explaining the diagram [see above]

The Ministry of Health contract the Midwifery Council to regulate and oversee the midwifery profession in New Zealand. The Ministry of Health also contract District Health Boards to provide facility services for maternity care.

District Health Boards manage and disburse government funds to facilities which provide secondary, primary and rural maternity services to the public. These facilities employ midwives to provide core midwifery services (i.e. staff the facilities) and to provide lead maternity care (i.e. one on one or small team care to women throughout pregnancy birth and postnatal).

Midwives may also be self employed and be paid directly from the Ministry of Health. The Ministry of Health either pay these fees directly to the midwives or pay through a body contracted by the midwives to handle these payment (e.g. New Zealand College of Midwives [NZCOM] do this through the MMPO a subsidiary of NZCOM)

NZCOM is the professional organisation of midwives in New Zealand. It looks after the interests of midwives and the midwifery profession. NZCOM have developed standards of excellence for midwifery practice and consensus statements around aspects of maternity care, in consultation with the profession. They are subcontracted by the Midwifery council of New Zealand to provide the Standards Review Process which is a peer review process midwives must engage with as part of the recertification process.