New blueprint to deliver improved maternity services for Theodore

Better access to family friendly and affordable accommodation, as well as improved access to local Telehealth services for Theodore’s expectant mothers are among a raft of improvements to local maternity services recommended after a clinical review.

Importantly, unplanned birthing services will continue to be provided and Theodore Multipurpose Health Service remains open.

The report also highlighted that numbers did not support safe and sustainable planned birthing services under the national Australian Rural Birthing Index framework. 

CQ Health’s Executive Director Nursing, Midwifery and Quality and Safety Sue Foyle said the health service was committed to work with clinicians and the community to continue to deliver the best possible maternity service.

“We always try to provide as many services as close to home when it is safe and sustainable to do so,” she said.

“Maternity services in Theodore include outpatient antenatal care with a midwife, shared care antenatal appointments with GPs and postnatal midwife/GP care.

“Midwife-supported telehealth appointments and continuity of midwifery care with the Midwifery Group Practice for the Banana shire (located in Biloela) are also available.”

The report identifies a series of opportunities to further strengthen local maternity services to be delivered over the next six to nine months, including:

• Improved access to antenatal education and support for women and families
• Address gaps in specialist maternity, allied health and nursing care
• Use telehealth infrastructure to reduce the need for travel
• Improve communication and information sharing between local health providers and other maternity services
• Work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women to make maternity services more culturally appropriate
• Provide greater access to family friendly, affordable accommodation
• Improve transport for women and families.

The report was prepared by an independent health expert for Clinical Excellence Queensland, when Theodore was announced as one of four pilot sites for the implementation of the Rural Maternity Services Assessment and Planning Framework.

This assessment tool was developed by Queensland’s Rural maternity Taskforce to examine access and provision of safe and sustainable maternity care, gain an understanding of maternity issues and expectations in communities, and develop recommendations to support improvements where possible enabling good outcomes for mothers and babies in rural and remote communities.

Community members were consulted as part of the process.

The report concluded that women value and prefer continuity of midwifery care and acknowledged the progress made in improving both antenatal care and postnatal support.  

The report can be found here: https://www.health.qld.gov.au/cq/about/news/articles/outcome-of-rural-maternity-service-planning-framework-pilot-theodore

ENDS

Media contact: Lucy Collier - 0409 461 324