NSW Health is committed to facilitating women's options for maternity care and supports public hospitals to enable admitting and practice rights for both midwives working in an individual capacity, and midwives employed by a private midwifery practice or health care service.
An Endorsed Midwife is a registered midwife who holds endorsement with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia to prescribe schedule 2, 3, 4 and 8 medicines.
The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) define a Privately Practicing Midwife as; 'Privately Practising Midwives (PPMs) mean a midwife who is working as sole practitioner, in partnership or in self-employed models and working on their own account. Midwives may also be deemed to be working in a private capacity when they provide midwifery services in a voluntary capacity as an individual or as part of a program run by a welfare, aid or charitable organisation where the organisation is not formally an employer'. Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, 2021; Safety and quality guidelines for privately practising midwives.
For this reason, the Nursing and Midwifery Office (NaMO) are replacing the term Privately Practicing Endorsed Midwife (PPEM) with the broader term Visiting Endorsed Midwife (VEM) within the policy documents as the updated version is inclusive of endorsed midwives who are employed in either an external midwifery practice, or Health Service, inclusive of Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCHS).
An access agreement outlines the terms and conditions under which the NSW public health organisation agrees to grant the privately practising endorsed midwife a right of access to the public hospital(s) operated by the public health organisation.
The Access Agreement (Individual Midwife) is to be used by a midwife who provides private midwifery services in NSW health facilities in an individual capacity.
The Access Agreement (Midwifery Practice/Health Care Practice) is to be used by a midwifery practice or Health Care Practice that employs a midwife who provides private midwifery services in NSW Health facilities in the course of their employment with the midwifery practice or Health Care Practice.
Apply for an access agreement with a maternity service in NSW Health
