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We have an active Advocacy/Lobbying arm of West Auckland Parents
Centre, and we are very involved as a consumer group for Waitakere
Hospital.
We attend monthly meetings of the Consumer Forum, which is a group
meeting with other consumer members and the Midwifery Management
team. This is a meeting that anyone is welcome to join, and it is
kiddie friendly!! We feedback any issues our members have raised
and also source information the staff want to know. As an example
when the food supplier at Waitakere Hospital changed, the staff
wanted to know had the recent Mums coming though the Maternity Unit
found it any good?? (They did)
We also attend the Maternity Forum, this is a more formal meeting
that takes place monthly, and in attendance are Consumer Group Representatives,
such as ourselves, the Midwifery Management Team, Obstetricians,
Anaesthetists, LMC Midwives and Clinical Leaders/Directors. Much
more in-depth issues are discussed here. We have also undertaken
research at the behest of staff. The most recent survey we completed
was over visitor times at the Maternity Unit. The staff wanted to
know whether the visitor times were the best they could be, and
should they be reviewed. Our research showed that the majority of
Mums who had birthed and stayed postnataly at the Unit found the
Visitors Times just right.
We are also involved with the steering committee for BFHI (Baby
Friendly Hospital Initiative) for Waitamata DHB. BHFI was launched
by WHO & UNICEF as a world wide initiative to encourage hospitals,
health care facilities, particularly maternity wards, to adopt practices
that fully protect, promote and support exclusive breast feeding
from birth.
Waitamata DHB (Waitakere and North Shore Hospital) are aiming to
have the assessment and accreditation process undertaken by November
this year.
We are keen to get feedback, the good, the bad and the ugly!! If
there is something you want raising or addressing please email lobbying@westaucklandparents.org.nz.
Also, if there is something you feel we should be active in please
let us know.
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