Midwife Master Agreement

GOVERNMENT DELIVERS AGREEMENT WITH BC'S REGISTERED MIDWIVES

The Midwives Association of BC (MABC) has reached a five-year agreement with the Ministry of Health that will help grow and sustain the midwifery profession, enhance midwifery services and increase access to maternity care throughout the province, especially in rural communities.

BC’s registered midwives ratified the agreement on November 27, 2014, with 93 percent voting in favour. The strong endorsement of the agreement came after months of comprehensive negotiations and the decision last July by MABC’s members to withdraw clinical education services at UBC.

KEY FEATURES OF THE AGREEMENT INCLUDE:

• A 5.5 per cent increase to the value of the agreement over its term, from April 1, 2014 to March 31, 2019.
• An enhanced Rural Midwifery Locum Program to support the sustainability and viability of rural and remote midwifery practices.
• A renewed Rural Start up Program to support the planning and integration of new rural and remote midwifery practices.
• Continuing Medical Education and Full Scope Skills Upgrading for midwives.
• Ongoing funding for the MABC’s Emergency Skills Program.
• Home Birth Supplies Program that will support Regional Health Authorities to provide these supplies and medications.
• Funding (from outside of the agreement) for midwives providing Clinical Education Services at UBC.
• Modernization of the midwifery payment model is required to address changes in practice and in provider needs since the model was first implemented in 1998. The Ministry of Health will develop:
• New fee items and alternative payments to advance collaborative care with other health professionals, including: collaborative care coverage in rural and remote communities and surgical assist for caesarean births.
• New fee items to support an expanded scope of practice for midwives.
• Two new committees will be established with the Ministry of Health to support the full integration of midwifery into the province’s health care system through more collaborative planning and policy development, including:
• A Rural Practice Committee – to identify communities in need of midwifery services and to recruit midwives to provide those services.
• A Fee Advisory Committee – to identify and recommend new fee items that reflect current midwifery care and support collaborative care with other health professions.
• View the Ministry of Health Press Release here (PDF), and the MABC Master Agreement Backgrounder here (PDF)

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