A REFORM PROPOSAL FOR MATERNITY SERVICES IN AUSTRALIA

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to outline a policy framework for improving the standard of maternity services in Australia. This framework does not address many of the longer-term issues under consideration by the Rudd government’s current review of maternity services – the consistently poorer outcomes for rural and Indigenous women, limited access to health professionals and maternity services in rural and remote areas, the high proportion of births taking place in hospitals, high caesarean and intervention rates, and low breastfeeding rates (1). While the overall goal for maternity services in Australia is to ensure seamless and coordinated antenatal, birthing and postnatal care for women and babies, this paper focuses specifically on risk management and better integration of care during pregnancy and birth because these two critical issues are amenable to change in the short-term.