❓ Mrs O'Malley asks about the $1.8 million investment in a new family birthing centre at Fiona Stanley Hospital and how it will support expecting mothers. The Minister details the centre's features and benefits, highlighting increased birthing options and midwifery-led care.
AnsweredQoN 499Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
FIONA
STANLEY HOSPITAL — FAMILY BIRTHING CENTRE
499. Mrs L.M. O'MALLEY to the Minister for Health:
I refer to the responsible
financial management of the McGowan Labor government that has meant more
funding in hospitals and more investment in services that put patients first.
(1) Can the minister update the house on the $1.8 million
investment in a new family birthing centre at Fiona Stanley Hospital?
(2) Can the minister advise the
house how this will support expecting mothers in the southern suburbs?
STANLEY HOSPITAL — FAMILY BIRTHING CENTRE
499. Mrs L.M. O'MALLEY to the Minister for Health:
I refer to the responsible
financial management of the McGowan Labor government that has meant more
funding in hospitals and more investment in services that put patients first.
(1) Can the minister update the house on the $1.8 million
investment in a new family birthing centre at Fiona Stanley Hospital?
(2) Can the minister advise the
house how this will support expecting mothers in the southern suburbs?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) I
thank the member for the question. She is quite right. As the Premier said a little
while ago, we have been increasing the funding for hospitals year on year, at
around between 2.8 per cent and 3.5 per cent across the forward estimates. We
can do that because of sound financial management. We can also provide capital
funding for much-needed upgrades and changes to the way we deliver services.
As every member in this place would
understand, great work has been done at King Edward Memorial Hospital for Women
over the last 27 years at its birthing centre, allowing mothers with low-risk
births to have their child delivered in the way that they want. One of the
aspects of our putting patients first policy was to provide more choices for
mums about their birthing options. We committed to the development of a new
family birthing centre at Fiona Stanley Hospital to provide that option for
mums in the southern suburbs. I am very pleased to say that the construction of
this is coming along nicely to create a more home-like, holistic birthing
centre. It has been designed in consultation with a group of mums who have utilised Fiona Stanley Hospital maternity services
in the past few years. The maternity ward at Fiona Stanley Hospital does
a great job, and this will be a terrific addition. Following a period of staff
training, the centre will start enrolling pregnant women in the program from
August this year. The new family birthing centre will provide women in the
south metropolitan catchment with access to midwifery-led care, through their
antenatal, labour, birth and postnatal periods, currently not available south
of the river. The centre will also feature three birthing suites, two of which
have inbuilt birthing pools and another with a portable pool.
This sort of facility is very
different from the feel of the rest of the hospital. It is a really important
aspect of the way we provide health care in Western Australia and because we
want to put patients first—put the consumer in charge of the services
they receive. It is terrific that we are now seeing the extension of a family
birthing centre from King Edward Memorial Hospital to Fiona Stanley Hospital as
well.
thank the member for the question. She is quite right. As the Premier said a little
while ago, we have been increasing the funding for hospitals year on year, at
around between 2.8 per cent and 3.5 per cent across the forward estimates. We
can do that because of sound financial management. We can also provide capital
funding for much-needed upgrades and changes to the way we deliver services.
As every member in this place would
understand, great work has been done at King Edward Memorial Hospital for Women
over the last 27 years at its birthing centre, allowing mothers with low-risk
births to have their child delivered in the way that they want. One of the
aspects of our putting patients first policy was to provide more choices for
mums about their birthing options. We committed to the development of a new
family birthing centre at Fiona Stanley Hospital to provide that option for
mums in the southern suburbs. I am very pleased to say that the construction of
this is coming along nicely to create a more home-like, holistic birthing
centre. It has been designed in consultation with a group of mums who have utilised Fiona Stanley Hospital maternity services
in the past few years. The maternity ward at Fiona Stanley Hospital does
a great job, and this will be a terrific addition. Following a period of staff
training, the centre will start enrolling pregnant women in the program from
August this year. The new family birthing centre will provide women in the
south metropolitan catchment with access to midwifery-led care, through their
antenatal, labour, birth and postnatal periods, currently not available south
of the river. The centre will also feature three birthing suites, two of which
have inbuilt birthing pools and another with a portable pool.
This sort of facility is very
different from the feel of the rest of the hospital. It is a really important
aspect of the way we provide health care in Western Australia and because we
want to put patients first—put the consumer in charge of the services
they receive. It is terrific that we are now seeing the extension of a family
birthing centre from King Edward Memorial Hospital to Fiona Stanley Hospital as
well.
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