Table 1 Summary of objectives for maternity care reform expressed in national and state-level documentation
Reform objectives | Nationala | Queenslandb |
|---|---|---|
Consumer involvement and choice: ensuring that care is women-centred, that women are informed and have access to choices (e.g. access to different models of care). | “Access” Women-centred care, reflecting the needs of each woman. Make care available in a range of settings. Ensure women have access to information | Consumer involvement and choice |
Equity: improving outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and women in remote and rural areas, including provision of culturally competent staff and the availability of local maternity care for rural and remote dwelling women | Culturally competent care in a range of settings close to where they live to contribute to closing the gap between the health outcomes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and non-Indigenous Australians | Improve outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples |
Care sensitive to all potentially vulnerable groups, e.g. those with medical, socioeconomic or other risk factors that may increase the likelihood of poor outcomes | Improve care in rural and remote areas of Queensland | |
Women in rural and remote Australia have increased access to local maternity care | ||
Service delivery: provision of high-quality, safe, evidence-based care that is sustainable | Safe and sustainable quality system | Quality and safety of care |
High quality, evidence-based care | Integration of care across settings | |
Workforce: resourcing a workforce that is qualified to provide woman-centred care that is clinically safe and based on a wellness paradigm | Appropriately trained and qualified maternity health professionals | Sustainability of the maternity care workforce |
Support rural and remote and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workforce. Facilitating interdisciplinary collaboration | ||
Postnatal care | Increased access to midwifery postnatal care, outside hospital settings, for at least two weeks after birth | Improve care in the postnatal period |
Continuity of care | Continuous maternity care able to be provided to all women | |
Infrastructure: care should be provided within a safe, high-quality system. Planning and design of maternity services should be woman-centred. | Planning and delivery of maternity care should be consistent with meeting the goals outlined above including providing high quality, women-centred care by a sustainable workforce. |