title: An integrated service network in maternity--the implementation of a midwifery-led unit.
abstract: Maternity services in Australia are in urgent need of change. During the last 10 years several reviews have highlighted the need to provide more continuity of care for women in conjunction with the rationalisation of services. One solution may lie in the development of new integrated systems of care where primary-level maternity units offer midwifery-led care and women are transferred into perinatal centres to access tertiary-level obstetric technology and staff when required. This case study outlines the introduction of caseload midwifery into an Area Health Service in metropolitan Sydney. Our objective is to explore the concept of caseload midwifery and the process of implementing the first midwifery-led unit in NSW within an integrated service network. The midwife-led unit is a small but growing phenomenon in many countries. However, the provision of "continuity" and "woman-centred" midwifery care involves radical changes to conventional hospital practice.
authors.affiliation: Northern Sydney Health, Level 2, McNevin Dickson Building, University of New South Wales, Randwick, Sydney, NSW 2031, Australia. s.tracy@unsw.edu.au
authors.forename: Sally K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Tracy
authors.forename: Donna
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hartz
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nicholl
authors.forename: Yvonne
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: McCann
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Latta
mesh_terms: D003266:Continuity of Patient Care; D019033:Delivery of Health Care, Integrated / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005260:Female; D006771:Hospitals, Maternity / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D008880:Midwifery / Q000458:organization & administration*; D009517:New South Wales