Endorsed Midwife Wendy makes a significant step forward for Pilbara mums and bubs

A year after diving into her new role, Newman-based Endorsed Midwife Wendy Hoey is making a meaningful difference in the lives of families in the East Pilbara.

An experienced Senior Midwife, Wendy completed the necessary postgraduate requirements to become an Endorsed Midwife five years before stepping up to the new role.

And while she admits feeling apprehensive at first, it wasn’t long before Wendy found her stride.

“I was nervous, but after a while I realised this is exactly what these women need,” she said.

“It’s so rewarding providing that service.”

Endorsed midwives can prescribe certain medications and order diagnostic tests relating to pregnancy, birth and the newborn period.

As autonomous primary maternity care providers, they do not require a GP referral to work with pregnant women and can provide direct referral to other health professionals such as obstetricians and paediatricians.

At any given time, Wendy handles a caseload of around 30 women who benefit from having access to free early pregnancy care without having to leave town.

“I can care for woman in town from conception up until 36 weeks – that’s when we encourage women to head to where they’re planning to birth – and postnatally up to six weeks if required,” she said.

“They can see the GP initially if they choose, and then the GP refers them to me at about 20 weeks.

“But because I’m an Endorsed Midwife, women have the choice to just self-refer and come straight to me rather than going to the GP first.”

Wendy is also a Clinical Midwife Specialist at Newman Health Service and works remotely as a Clinical Midwife Consultant with the Midwifery and Obstetric Emergency Telehealth Service (MOETS) in the WA Country Health Service Command Centre.

MOETS is a WA Country Health Service telehealth service providing 24/7 support to Midwives, obstetrics teams and non-birthing suites – such as Newman – across country WA via a central ‘virtual’ clinical hub.

Wendy has been involved with MOETS since the start, first coming on board as Clinical Project Lead ahead of the February 2022 launch, before stepping back into clinical work after 18 months in the role.

“MOETS has been really successful, especially with the support we provide for Midwives at the regional maternity sites,” she said.

“At the non-birthing sites, the Registered Nurses can just call through to a Midwife and we’re on a video screen, sorting out any of the pregnant women that turn up.

“We’re also involved in clinical governance – sitting on case reviews, helping ensure safety and quality across the regions – and sometimes we get deployed to regional sites if they become short-staffed.”

Wendy said working regionally had equipped her with a greater skillset and offered an excellent work-life balance.

“I enjoy being two minutes from work, living in a small community where it’s a relaxed pace of life with no hustle and bustle,” she said.

“With Newman being a mining town, I meet people from all around the world, and being exposed to the culture of the traditional owners, the Martu people, is a privilege."