Eligible Private Practice Midwives and what’s FBC got to do with it?

What is an Eligible Private Practice Midwife or EPPM as they are are known? And what does that have to do with Friends of the Birth Centre?!

In May 2014, after many years of work done before us by other consumer groups and midwives the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital started getting serious about the call from women wanting a private midwife to be with them from the beginning of their pregnancy all the way through the birth and for post natal support up to 6 weeks. Friends of the Birth Centre were invited by the RBWH Executives to start attending the working party to provide valuable input from the point of view of a consumer, a mother. After months and months of meetings which the lovely Anna, from the FBC Consumer Representation group happily attended, the negotiations, legalities, concerns and a whole lot more were addressed and completed. A whole year later in May 2015 the new model of care – care from an EPPM at the RBWH - was launched by the Queensland State Health Minister, Honorable Cameron Dick. http://www.health.qld.gov.au/rbwh/docs/eppm-contacts.pdf



Who was the first mum to birth through this new model of care at RBWH?  

 
A woman had been excluded from attending the Birth Centre for her second birth (due to complexity) wanted to have continuity of care similar to her first birth in the Birth Centre was the first woman to have a baby through this model.  Having the EPPM model will allow women, who loved their first Birth Centre experience, or want the Birth Centre for the first time for continuity of care even if that are not eligible to have care in the birth centre to have Continuity of Care.  We are admitted as private patients, but do not need to have Private Health Insurance.  For most people around half the cost of care is covered by Medicare and of course those who have Private Health Insurance will obtain a full rebate for care to the scheduled fee.  Psst. and did you know if meet the low risk requirements of Birth Centre Continuity of Care you may just get to use that very special, homelike space which Friends of the Birth Centre keep looking so beautiful.