Minister Welcomes Opportunity For Family Input On Maternity Review.

"The review of Maternity Services offers families the chance to contribute their views on how they want maternity services provided in New Zealand,". The Associate Minister of Health Georgina te Heuheu said this morning. "Afterall pregnancy and childbirth are an emotional time not just for women, but for their families as well."

The Minister's comments accompanied the release of the Terms of Reference for the National Health Committee's Review of Maternity Services made by the Minister of Health Wyatt Creech in Porirua today.

"The provision of services must be based around the needs of Mothers and their families, so that the experience is as satisfying as it can be." Mrs te Heuheu said.

The National Health Committee plans to gather information in a number of ways including a process for written submissions, a consumer survey, meetings and focus groups.

"I hope people will take the opportunity provided by this review to provide feedback on their own experience so that we can have as broad a range of opinion as possible." Mrs te Heuheu said.

The primary focus for the Review is on Women as consumers of maternity services. Particular attention will be paid to accessing the views of Maori and Pacific Island women and the appropriateness of maternity services for them.

The Terms of Reference for the review are:

• to assess the quality of the public maternity service currently being provided and the scope for any improvements in the quality of the service 
• to assess whether women are satisfied with the public maternity service available to them, including the choice available and whether they are able to make informed choices. 
• to identify any barriers to women accessing maternity care of the type and quality they need 
• to identify ways to address issues identified in the review, within current funding levels, to achieve better use of available resources.