Mater Mothers' Hospital one year on

Thursday, 4 June 2009

On the first anniversary of the new Mater Mothers’ Hospitals opening, Dr Don Cave, Director of Perinatal Medicine and Women's Health Services and Mish Hill, Director Women's Health Services talk to Scope about the year that was, the year ahead and a snap-shot of everything in between.

Q: How would you sum up the year that was?

It was exciting, challenging and incredibly satisfying to witness the birth of a modern, up-to-date facility which has enabled us to provide contemporary, cutting-edge care.

Q: Are there any highlights that stand out during the Mater Mothers’ Hospitals first year of operation?

There are a number of highlights that come to mind. To list just a handful:

• the opening of a refugee maternity clinic
• recruitment of first-class medical specialists
• the exceptional way in which maternity and neonatal services have adapted to handle increased activity
• enhanced collaboration between midwifery and medical colleagues
• the establishment of a second midwifery group practice model to complement the first
• the successful recruitment of many more midwifery and nursing personnel, many of whom are home-grown
• integration of a high-risk antenatal unit
• the development of a GP alignment program which will see Mater Mothers’ Hospitals foster closer partnerships with GP colleagues in the provision of maternity services
• realignment of Mater Mothers’ Hospitals clinics
• the recruitment of a Professor of Midwifery
• the establishment of the Mater Mothers’ Research Centre which provides nursing, midwifery, medical and allied health scholarships for further research and support to study—an initiative we hadn’t planned to occur until 2010.

Q: What sets the new facility apart from other maternity and women’s health facilities?

Without a doubt, the extraordinary collaboration between the midwifery and medical personnel sets Mater Mothers’ Hospitals apart. We’ve received feedback that the Mothers’ stands out as an exceptional facility in this respect.

Also, our approach to our colleagues and the women and families who access our care is values-based. At the Mothers’ we really believe in Mater’s Mission and Values and try to do our business in a way that reflects them.

In terms of the new facility itself, the architecture is open, welcoming, filled with light and space. This is closely aligned to our vision of family-centred care.

Q: What does the future hold for the Mater Mothers’ Hospitals?

The future of the Mater Mothers’ Hospitals will see better working relationships with our VMO colleagues and greater ease in recruiting high quality staff because of our reputation as being contemporary and collegiate, collaborative and caring.

It will see greater involvement with our consumer partners, the continual strengthening of our national profile and the ability to influence the way maternity and women’s health services are developed and provided in Queensland.

The future will also see the Mater Mothers’ Hospitals integrate additional women’s health services.

In order to build a service that is first-class, we encourage all VMOs to take the opportunity to communicate with us as openly and as often as possible.

We will continue to implement practical solutions to concerns that are raised and foster collaborative relationships through one-on-one meetings.

To contact Dr Don Cave or Mish Hill call 07 3163 8602, email don.cave@mater.org.au, or 07 3163 8855, email mish.hill@mater.org.au respectively.
 

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