HPOA consultations

BCCNM is proposing amendments to the Midwives: Professional Standards that consolidate existing expectations from that standard into the new Midwives: Client Care​ practice standard. Requirements related to providing antenatal, intrapartum, and postpartum care, offering home birth, and maintaining 24/7 call coverage have been revised and moved to the Midwives: Client Care practice standard to reflect the diversity of midwifery practice models.

• ​​​Midwives: Professional Standards​ (blackline)
• Midwives: Professional Standards (clean)​
  

The proposed Midwives: Client Care practice standard consolidates expectations previously spread across multiple standards, quality assurance requirements, and registration policies. It applies to all client care in any setting, with additional expectations for intrapartum care generally and in home and community settings. It is intended to replace the Midwives: Home and Community Birth practice standard and the Midwives: Hospital Privileges practice standard. 

Most requirements from the Midwives: Home and Community Birth practice standard have transitioned to the new standard and remain substantively unchanged, while some have been updated based on consultation feedback and current practice. New standards have also been added. 

​​​For example, Standard 2 strengthens expectations for transparency about the midwife’s scope of practice and settings in which they provide care, and Limits & Conditions 2 and 3 clarify competence requirements for midwives providing intrapartum care.

• ​Midwives: Client Care (new)​​