The Northern Territory government has introduced a new model of maternity care. This follows the recent closure of Darwin’s only private maternity ward. There is a huge gap in NT Health Minister Steve Edgington’s plans for medical care on the ground. He hopes to use this funding to expand the maternity ward at Royal Darwin Hospital (RDH). The suggested amendments are meant to both account for more births and improve care for paying patients.
Under the new arrangement, pregnant women will deliver at RDH. The state-of-the-art maternity ward situated on the island now serves about 250 births per year. Following delivery, private patients will have two options for postnatal care: a “luxury retreat” at a boutique hotel in Darwin or an at-home service. This program brings valuable postnatal visits directly to new households. It does so by directly filling the gap that’s been left by the closure of that private facility.
Enhanced Postnatal Care Options
The NT government has assembled an attractive suite of enticements for private maternity patients. Starting June 1, parents will be able to access a “return home sooner package,” which offers tailored postnatal care options. People who have private health insurance that includes coverage for hospital-based pregnancy and birth services will be able to use these packages.
The accommodation base for private patients from the Darwin Airport Gold Coast Mercure Resort Hospital. On-call midwives 24/7 throughout your stay. They’re prepared to help families address needs from wound care to postnatal checks, feeding, baby weighing and general newborn care.
Beyond the luxury retreat experience, at-home services will provide a more individualized approach to postnatal care. Relatively unqualified workers, like paraprofessionals, would engage with parents in their own home environment. This helps them get the support they need in the early days of this vital period.
“I have been advised by NT Health that all insurers have agreed to support care options for women and families post-birth.” – NT Health Minister Steve Edgington
Information Sessions for Expectant Families
To facilitate understanding of the new arrangements, the NT government will hold information sessions at the Mercure Darwin Airport Resort. These sessions are designed to allow expectant families to see the accommodation possibilities and talk about their planned care with specialist RDH specialist staff. These sessions should be for the families. They’ll find out what services are out there and how to best get ready for all of these changes coming down the pike.
Edgington pointed out that there is enough capacity within RDH’s maternity ward to accommodate more births from the private sector.
“We’ve made it very clear that 250 additional births can be consumed within the current arrangements at the Royal Darwin Hospital.” – NT Health Minister Steve Edgington
Families are encouraged to come with questions in mind to these informative webinars. They’ll get the opportunity to better address people’s worries about moving to new postnatal care alternatives.
Support for Complicated Cases
The new plan offers more inclusive coverage for private maternity patients. For the patients who do develop complications in labor or after delivery, they need to remain at RDH until stable enough to safely discharge home. This metric guarantees that patients of all ages are given the proper acute medical treatment and care at the right time.
The Department of Health and Social Care has agreed to pilot new models of postnatal care. This decision follows the closure of all private maternity services in Darwin just last month. They augment traditional hotel accommodations with services brought to patients’ homes. Their aim is to fill the void left by new restrictions as maternity care becomes increasingly limited.
Additionally, three of the largest health insurers have committed to covering these private postnatal bundles. Patients with any health insurer should call on their government. They’re then able to learn more about how to access services like them.
