An International Comparison of Midwifery Models of Care in the United Kingdom and New Zealand That Promote Relationship Building With Women and Its Influence on Women's Decision Making for Birth

Abstract

Following a successful application for a Florence Nightingale Foundation travel scholarship, I completed an observation visit to New Zealand to explore its model of midwifery care. My focus consisted of three main elements: exploration at a clinical level and lessons we can learn to improve our clinical model of continuity; exploration at a strategic level to learn lessons about sustainability of continuity models, monitoring, and regulation; and exploration at the researcher level to explore research priorities and interests and to consider topics for further research and potential collaboration. The purpose of this article is to share my personal reflections on this experience.The New Zealand model is based on a philosophy of trust in both women as consumers and midwives as skilled professionals. At all levels there is a commitment to the value of autonomy and a feeling of safety in people holding the responsibility for their decisions. In New Zealand, despite a full commitment to continuity and partnership when working with women, the decisions women were making were not necessarily reflective of an increase in normality. To maximize benefit from lessons learned in practice, it seems prudent to work together internationally on improvement, innovation, and research.