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Sustainability of rural Victorian maternity services : 'We can work together'
Brundell, Kath Vasilevski, Vidanka Farrell, Tanya Sweet, Linda
Brundell, Kath
Vasilevski, Vidanka
Farrell, Tanya
Sweet, Linda
Abstract
Background
Rural maternity service closures and service level reductions are continually increasing across Victoria. There is limited understanding of how rural board members and executives make decisions about their maternity service’s operations and sustainability.
Aim
To examine perspectives of rural Victorian board members and executives on the sustainability of rural maternity services.
Methods
This was a qualitative study. Interviews were conducted via Zoom™ with 16 rural Victorian hospital board members and executives. Data were thematically analysed.
Findings
Severe shortages in the rural maternity workforce, primarily midwives, have contributed to service sustainability decisions. Challenges in offering midwifery workforce incentives cause difficulty in overcoming workforce shortages. A rural maternity workforce strategy harnessing connection with regional services was called for. Innovative models of maternity care were often actioned at the point of service suspension or closure. Participants requested a government policy position and funding for innovative, safe, and sustainable models of care in rural settings.
Discussion
There is an opportunity for workforce planning to occur between regional and rural services to ensure the development of sustainable maternity models such as midwifery group practice and incentivise the workforce to address current deficits and sustain service provision.
Conclusion
Models of care developed with rural communities, in collaboration with regional services, have the potential to strengthen the delivery of safe, sustainable maternity services. Workforce modelling and centralised government policies aimed at arresting workforce deficits are suggested to provide rural health service leaders with strategic and operational directions to support the delivery of safe, sustainable maternity services.
Keywords
rural maternity, closure, incentivise, midwifery workforce, rural workforce
Date
2024
Type
Journal article
Journal
Women and Birth
Book
Volume
37
Issue
3
Page Range
1-8
Article Number
Article 101596
ACU Department
School of Nursing, Midwifery and Paramedicine
Faculty of Health Sciences
Faculty of Health Sciences
Relation URI
Source URL
Event URL
Open Access Status
Published as ‘gold’ (paid) open access
License
CC BY 4.0
File Access
Open
Notes
© 2024 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of Australian College of Midwives. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).