In accordance with section 16(3) of the Audit Act 1994 a copy of this report was provided to audited health services and the Department of Health with a request for submissions or comments.
The submissions and comments provided are not subject to audit nor the evidentiary standards required to reach an audit conclusion. Responsibility for the accuracy, fairness and balance of those comments rests solely with the agency head.
Once assured of safe care, women want choice, continuity of care and control of their pregnancy.
Access to woman-centred care is variable. Women are experiencing greater control of their maternity care. However, less than half of them are experiencing continuity of care and the lack of comprehensive, accessible information contributes to poor understanding of the maternity system.
Timely, high quality maternity care during pregnancy supports women to give their babies the healthiest possible start in life.
Women attending the hospitals we audited in metropolitan growth areas do not have equitable access to maternity services as there is a demand and supply mismatch. This is projected to increase with population growth. The Department of Health has, however, now begun collecting data on the timeliness of access to antenatal care to inform service improvement.
The Department of Health is responsible for health service planning, including maternity services, at the state level, while health services plan locally.
The department has limited information about the capacity and provision of maternity services in Victoria which makes the identification of service gaps and making informed planning decisions problematic. Work is underway, with the department mapping existing maternity services.
After a period of decline, birth numbers in Victoria began to rise from 2001, creating an increased demand for maternity services. Services came under pressure especially in Melbourne's growth areas. Sunshine Hospital, which services some of the fastest growing communities such as Brimbank and Melton, has the third highest number of births in the state.
Figure 1A shows the 16 per cent increase in births from 2000–01 to 2009–10.
Figure
1A
Births in Victorian public hospitals, 2000–01 to 2009–10
Healthy outcomes for women and their babies are dependent on adequately resourced maternity facilities and an appropriately skilled workforce. Maternity services are a core part of healthcare delivery, representing 5 per cent of all public hospital admissions and 17 per cent of state-funded hospital outpatient appointments. Responsibility for the delivery of antenatal care, or care during pregnancy, is shared between the Victorian Department of Health and the Commonwealth.
Ordered to be printed
VICTORIAN GOVERNMENT PRINTER October 2011
PP No 71, Session 2010–11