WORKING AS A COORDINATOR MIDWIFE IN A TERTIARY ...

pregnancy and childbirth experiences. As a result of the 1990 legislation, LMCs began
accompanying their clients to tertiary delivery suites and chose to provide ongoing
midwifery care in both primary and secondary settings. As a consequence, the role of the
DHB midwife in secondary and tertiary hospitals changed.
In 1996, the Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers Rights was enacted. This
code applies to all health and disability service providers within New Zealand. It aims to
improve the quality of provision of health care and disability services by promoting and
protecting consumers’ legislated rights. Its role also exists to help resolve problems
between consumers and providers.
The Maternity Services Notice Section 88 of the NZ Public Health and Disability Act
2000 was introduced in 2002 (Ministry of Health, 2002) and dictates services provision
specifications for midwifery care and how LMCs are paid. Legislation brought further
changes for midwives with the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act (HPCA)
2003. This Act is a regulatory framework which protects the public, by having legislated
mechanisms in place to ensure health practitioners from thirteen different health
professions including the midwifery profession, are fit to practice. The Midwifery
Council of New Zealand was subsequently established in 2004 as a separate entity to the
Nursing Council of New Zealand which had previously been the professional regulatory
authority for both midwives and nurses.
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