Expanding a midwifery caseload model within a large tertiary service

Background: Around the world women have articulated that they require maternity services which provide care that is respectful, evidenced based and tailored to meet their own individual circumstances. Women want to be an active participant in their own care and have a choice of who cares for them and where they give birth. Overwhelming evidence supports continuity of midwifery care for the woman and her family which ensures consistency of care, delivered within a humanistic paradigm. The midwifery caseload model of care was developed through extensive consultation with care providers both in the acute and community sector and consumer groups. The evidence based model was developed and driven by a commitment to ensure that maternity care service provision acknowledges pregnancy, birth and the early transition to parenthood as a significant but normal life event, underpinned by primary health care principles and a social model of care. Methodology: This presentation will provide a description of the development of the future focused model of maternity care and its alignment with the Australian Governments National Maternity Services Plan (2011). The methodology undertaken and present the clinical outcomes of the Midwifery Caseload Practice (MCP) from 2017/18. Results: In 2017/18 the midwifery caseload model provided care for 586 women. The women recruited to MCP were from an all-risk model. 84.8% (n = 497) of women gave birth vaginally with 15.5% (89) of women giving birth by caesarean section. Number of babies born at birth with a APGAR of less than 6 at five minutes (=3) and admission of babies to born at 37 completed weeks of pregnancy requiring admission to special care baby unit 6.1% (n = 33). Further clinical outcomes of the model will be considered during the presentation.