Inquiry into Public Hospital Performance Data

The Victorian government's Standing Committee on Finance & Public Administration is undertaking an Inquiry into Public Hospital Performance Data

Terms of Reference
"To inquire into and report on the capacity of hospitals to meet demand, standards and quality of care, resourcing and access levels, and the accuracy and completeness of performance data for Victorian public hospitals."

Submissions are being made available via
(Link to submissions)
Public Hearings are proposed for early 2009.

A submission has been made, applying the questions of this inquiry to homebirth, and particularly the need for Victorian publicly funded materntiy services to offer the option of planned homebirth. For further detail of the submission see http://villagemidwife.blogspot.com/
In summary:

• The capacity of hospitals to meet demand, standards and quality of care (TOR#1) for women planning homebirth is a matter that is not difficult to manage. In fact, the introduction of homebirth programs into public hospitals will free up staff and beds for those who need to be in hospital.
• The resourcing and access levels (TOR#2) of public hospitals to provide back-up arrangements for women planning homebirth can readily be managed within normal resourcing arrangements.
• TOR#3: there is a high standard of accurate and useful data in respect to the performance of midwives attending home births, and for hospitals to which women planning homebirth (approximately 20% of the group) are transferred.

A copy of the submission has been sent to Shadow Minister for Health, Hon Helen Shardey.