News

Sunraysia women assured of safe birthing experience

Jun 30, 2016

Victoria is one of the safest places in the world to have a baby and Mildura Base Hospital says Sunraysia women they can be assured of a positive, safe birthing experience at the hospital.

MBH acting chief executive Julia Morgan said a media article yesterday painted a misleading picture of a report which ultimately found that “women and their families can be confident in the State's well-established maternity and neonatal service system".

“This includes Mildura Base Hospital,” Ms Morgan said.

“More than 900 women give birth at our hospital each year and a neonatal death is a tragic, but exceptional event,” she said.

“It is a sad fact that almost all perinatal deaths in Victoria are caused by unavoidable factors.

“Most relate to pre-term birth, specific perinatal complications or pre-existing maternal medical conditions.” 

But Ms Morgan said identifying contributing factors in each case and sharing lessons learned were fundamental to ensuring safe and high quality care with a focus on continual improvement.

“That is what we have done at Mildura Base Hospital.  We review every incident rigorously through our hospital patient care review committee of senior hospital doctors, nurses and midwives to identify lessons and learnings,” she said.

“In the past three years, each incident review has found no issues of concern.

“In addition we have commissioned an independent review into public obstetrics and gynaecology at Mildura Base Hospital.  

“The final report from that review is to be delivered soon, but its interim findings have made a positive assessment of the performance, safety and quality framework at the hospital.”

Ms Morgan said the media report referred to data which is now more than three years old, and compared Victorian hospitals with each other.

“This data it was based on does not identify if a death may have been avoidable, or the risk categories or any complications with the birth or pregnancy which might exist,” Ms Morgan said.

The ratio referred to in the report is a risk-adjusted calculation allowing comparison of hospitals, despite differences in health and social circumstances of the women and babies they care for,” she said.

The ratio reported for Mildura Base Hospital is for babies who died at early gestations when the risk of perinatal mortality is high.  

Most Victorian hospitals including Mildura Base Hospital, do not normally care for babies born before 32 weeks’ gestation, beyond the provision of immediate emergency care and transfer to a higher capability service.

“We are continuing to work closely with the Department of Health and Human Services to ensure we are providing best possible service for Sunraysia,” Ms Morgan said.

“Our service is safe and mothers and families can be assured that we are providing them with best practice health care and safety when they entrust the birth of their child with us.”