General News
19 October, 2023
New midwifery model shortlisted for award
Even though Maryborough District Health Service’s (MDHS) midwifery model is a little more than a year old, it has already delivered significant results — earning the program a finalist spot in the state’s premier healthcare awards. Introduced...
Even though Maryborough District Health Service’s (MDHS) midwifery model is a little more than a year old, it has already delivered significant results — earning the program a finalist spot in the state’s premier healthcare awards.
Introduced in May last year, MDHS’ Midwifery Group Practice (MGP) — Case Load Model of Care is one step closer to becoming an award-winning initiative after being shortlisted in the Victorian Public Healthcare Awards’ Excellence in Women’s Health category.
Developed to enable more women to give birth locally and receive pregnancy care, around 51 babies have been delivered under the model with over a 160 families cared for, since its inception.
MDHS CEO Nickola Allan said being nominated for the award reaffirmed the value of the model within the health space as well as in the community.
“We are really excited to be able to share the success of our community led model for maternity services,” she said.
“It is regarded as the gold standard of maternity care and we know that, we’ve got the data that reflects that and it’s also evident in what MGP means for our local women.
“They’re now able to access services locally and be supported from our referral network to other agencies. That’s the strength of our model, that our women are supported at every point of their journey, which is really unique and is reflective of our amazing team and our community.”
MGP is up against big names like Bendigo Health and La Trobe University for the award and MDHS’ maternity services project coordinator Samantha McLean said that reflected the high standard of the model.
“Many years of work have gone into the implementation of MGP at MDHS. The development of the model involved local community, MDHS executive, representation from both of our referral centres — Grampians Health and Bendigo Health — as well as representation from Safer Care Victoria and the Department of Health,” she said.
“It is always great to receive recognition in the way of nominations for such awards but to be recognised alongside such quality services is a real honour.
“As well as an honour for MDHS, it should be seen as a recognition for our community who had such an active voice in the formation of this model.”
Ms McLean said the one of a kind MGP offered unique features that not only made it noteworthy but also helped shift the maternity care landscape in Maryborough.
“Prior to its introduction at MDHS, the hospital found it difficult to recruit and retain midwives and birthing numbers were also falling as families choose to travel to larger regional services to birth — the service, offering continuity of care, is now flourishing and continuing to grow,” she said.
“For women who have what is described as a normal risk pregnancy; they will have a known midwife provide the majority of care during pregnancy, labour, birth and the postnatal period both in hospital at MDHS and at home.
“What is significantly different about The Maryborough Model is that women who experience higher risk pregnancies are also able to continue to have care locally with a known midwife. Whilst the safest place for women with more complex pregnancies to birth may be at a larger regional hospital they continue to have the support of a known midwife to navigate this — research has shown that care from a known carer mitigates many risks, including increasing rates of spontaneous vaginal birth, improving breast feeding rates and lowering the risk of still birth.”
The winner for the award will be announced at the Victorian Public Healthcare Awards Gala on November 16 — with MDHS also featuring in another category, nominated as part of the Grampians Region Health Service Partnership for the partnership of the year title.