“More Midwives Matter”: RHH Midwives Take Action as Safety Concerns Escalate
16 April 2026
WHAT: ANMF Media Call
WHERE: Royal Hobart Hospital, Campbell Street Entrance
WHEN: 9.30am, Thursday, April 16; ANMF Tasmanian Branch Secretary Emily Shepherd and ANMF members will be available for media interview
The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) Tasmanian Branch will today support Midwives at the Royal Hobart Hospital (RHH) in their public industrial action.
Midwifery members will be wearing “More Midwives Matter!” badges and initiating a petition calling on the Minister for Health to urgently address growing safety concerns in maternity services.
ANMF Tasmanian Branch Secretary Emily Shepherd said the ANMF is backing these midwives, who say the system is under unsustainable pressure following the 2025 closure of Hobart Private Hospital’s maternity services.
“Since the closure, demand for care at the RHH has naturally surged – but staffing, resources and support have not kept pace,” Ms Shepherd said.
“Midwives warn they are now deeply concerned for the safety of women, babies and their own clinical registration which is causing significant moral injury for the midwifery workforce.
“The expectation of the Government for Midwives at the RHH to just absorb the significant additional workload generated by the closure of Hobart Private Hospital is not only disrespectful to a profession who are dedicated to caring for women and babies at an extremely vulnerable time in their lives, it is also simply dangerous.”
Ms Shepherd said the ANMF and RHH midwives are calling on the Minister for Health to urgently:
- Increase midwife staffing by 10% to reflect the rise in births and workload since the closure of Hobart Private, pending a full review of staffing needs
- Allow up to 10 experienced agency midwives to support the service to work in the service to ensure there are enough skilled staff available to keep mothers and babies safe
- Meet with midwives and the ANMF to agree on further solutions for long-term safety and sustainability
“Our Midwives report:
- A significant increase in women and babies requiring care
- Too few midwives to safely meet demand
- High numbers of new graduates who need support
- Unsafe workloads and skill mix
- Critical equipment shortages due to unfunded requests
- Midwives diverted from patient care to administrative and non-clinical duties
“These issues are critical safety matters which if they continue to be left unmitigated are likely to cause adverse consequences.”
Ms Shepherd said births in Tasmania rose by 3.92% between 2024 and 2025, with the closure of Hobart Private placing further pressure on the RHH.
“At the same time, midwives are caring for one of the most complex maternity populations in the country, including:
- High levels of social disadvantage
- Among the highest rates of preterm birth
- The highest prevalence of chronic hypertension in pregnancy
- The second highest rate of smoking during pregnancy
- The highest maternal obesity rates nationally
“Despite this, requests for essential equipment have been declined, leaving staff reliant on donated items.”
Ms Shepherd said the ANMF and members are also calling for transparency regarding $6 million in Federal funding allocated to maternity services across Calvary and the Tasmanian Health Service, including how much has reached the RHH.
“Following urgent safety measures, midwives are seeking to work with the Minister on critical long-term reforms, including:
- Guaranteed access to sterilised emergency instruments at all times
- A dedicated clinical coach to support workforce development
- Ensure Enrolled Nurses (Ens) working in Maternity Services receive appropriate up-skilling and training to meet the needs of women. Ensure proper workforce modelling to maintain an appropriate skill mix between Registered Midwives and ENs.
- Funding for essential maternity equipment
- 24/7 ward clerk and hospital aide support
- A dedicated maternity pharmacist to improve medication safety
“Our message is simple: more midwives matter.
“Without immediate action, the risks will continue to grow. The safety of mothers and babies cannot continue to be compromised by the Tasmanian Government.”