Table 2: Models of maternity care

Private Maternity Care

Private patients of an obstetrician or GP obstetrician; attend private rooms for care in pregnancy and attended by the same obstetrician/GP for labour and postnatal care.

Public Hospital Clinic Care

Antenatal care in a public hospital outpatient clinic; attend the same hospital for labour and postnatal care; pregnancy and intrapartum care provided under the supervision of medical staff, uncomplicated births usually attended by midwives.

Public Hospital Midwives' Clinic

Antenatal care is provided by a public hospital midwives' clinic, with one or more visits to a consultant or registrar; intrapartum care is provided under the supervision of medical staff, uncomplicated births usually attended by midwives.

Birth Centre Care

Team midwifery care within a separate section of a hospital where midwives provide antenatal, intrapartum and postpartum care.

Shared Maternity Care

Formal arrangements between a public hospital and local practitioner (GP, obstetrician, midwife); the majority of pregnancy care is provided by a local practitioner, with visits to the hospital at the beginning and latter part of pregnancy; public hospital intrapartum care.

Combined Maternity Care

Similar to shared maternity care but does not involve pregnancy check-ups at a public hospital clinic.

Team Midwifery Care

Small teams of public hospital midwives care for women throughout pregnancy, labour, birth and the hospital stay, with one or more visits to a consultant or registrar.

Caseload Midwifery Care

Ongoing care with the same public hospital midwife for the majority of antenatal, labour, birth and postnatal care.

GP/Midwife Public Care

GPs and hospital-employed midwives jointly provide antenatal care to women enrolled for public hospital intrapartum care.

Outreach Midwifery Care

Midwife care for women with high social or obstetric risk, focus on support and education; intrapartum and postnatal care provided by a public hospital.

Planned Homebirths

Pregnancy check-ups, intrapartum and postnatal care provided by the same midwife; transfer to hospital in the case of complications as a private patient of a GP or obstetrician; may require a number of visits with a medical practitioner.