A team of obstetricians, midwives, medical staff and maternity patients are preparing for the start of the new publicly funded homebirth service on the Sunshine Coast, making it the first region in Queensland to offer this service, Health Minister Shannon Fentiman announced last week.
The multidisciplinary team have been preparing for the homebirth service through simulations to ensure frontline health staff know what to do to support women to safely have a home birth.
Sunshine Coast Health Chief Executive Dr Peter Gillies said they had had a number of women express an interest in having a home birth and were working to make sure we provide a safe service to these families.
“These simulations help us to determine how to safely provide a home birth service and what our frontline teams need to do if there are any issues,” he said.
“We are working to finalise the inclusion criteria for a publicly funded home birth shortly and will provide updated information to women and families over the coming months.
The new service will be offered to women who meet agreed clinical criteria and live within a safe travel distance to the Sunshine Coast University Hospital. Sunshine Coast Health is currently taking expressions of interest for the service which is scheduled to begin mid-2024.
Women can express their interest in a homebirth by talking to their GP or by sending an email to SC-MGP@health.qld.gov.au
