24 APRIL NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE 1111

PART C SERVICE SPECIFICATIONS & QUALITY REQUIREMENTS

This section describes the services that an Authorised Practitioner must provide in order to be entitled to claim payments under this Notice. These service specifications are a summary of services to be provided and do not replace professional standards for best clinical practice.

1.0 VISION

Each woman, and her whanau and family, will have every opportunity to have a fulfilling outcome to her pregnancy and childbirth, through the provision of services that are safe and based on partnership, information and choice. Pregnancy and childbirth are a normal life-stage for most women, with appropriate additional care available to those women who require it. A Lead Maternity Carer chosen by the woman with responsibility for assessment of her needs, planning her care with her and the care of her baby and being responsible for ensuring provision of Maternity Services, is the cornerstone of maternity care in New Zealand.

2.0 GENERAL QUALITY REQUIREMENTS

These general quality requirements apply to all services in this Notice:

2.1 Services to Maori will be provided in a way that is consistent with the Treaty of Waitangi, recognising the status of Maori as tangata whenua. This includes providing opportunities for whanau participation in the provision of care and encouraging opportunities for Maori participation in the delivery of Maternity Services.

2.2 Maternity Services will be provided in a manner appropriate to the culture of each individual woman and her family and whanau.

2.3 All women will be provided with appropriate information on the Maternity Services that they are entitled to receive and their options.

2.4 The relationship of the Authorised Practitioner with the woman will be based on informed consent.

2.5 The dignity of the woman will be respected.

2.6 All Lead Maternity Carers and Specialists will participate in a Professional Review Process.

3.0 OBLIGATIONS OF THE LEAD MATERNITY CARER

3.1 The Lead Maternity Carer will take responsibility for the care provided to the woman throughout her pregnancy and postpartum period including the management of Labour & Birth. It is expected that, from the time of Registration, all Modules of Lead Maternity Care will be the responsibility of one Lead Maternity Carer who has been chosen by the woman in order to achieve continuity of caregiver.

3.2 The Lead Maternity Carer is required to make every effort to attend as necessary during labour and to attend each Birth. In the occasional circumstances where it is not possible to attend the Birth due to, for example, holidays or the requirement to be with another woman in labour, the Lead Maternity Carer will make appropriate other arrangements.

3.3 The Lead Maternity Carer will be available twenty-four hours, seven day per week to provide phone advice to the woman and attendance if required for urgent problems, either personally or by the Back-up to the Lead Maternity Carer.

3.4 Subject to the consent of the woman and clauses C3.1 and C3.2, aspects of a Module may be subcontracted to another Authorised Practitioner. Responsibility for meeting the requirements of the Module remain with the Lead Maternity Carer. The respective responsibilities of the Lead Maternity Carer and any other Authorised Practitioner will be clearly documented in the Care Plan.