The small rural town of Robinvale is located in the Northern West part of Victoria. Robinvale District Health (RDH) has a unique shared care model in Midwifery.
The town of Robinvale is 90 kilometres from the birthing hospital in Mildura and has 60 to 100 births from the area annually. RDH have a shared care model, which is currently working well thanks to the funding from RWAV for a visiting Obstetrician (from the birthing hospital) once a week to support the local Midwife Vicki Broad.
Prior to the beginning of this program in 2007, many women living in and around Robinvale were presenting at Mildura Base Hospital to birth without adequate antenatal care. The shared care model in Midwifery outreach service has enabled appropriate monitoring and care to these pregnant women, ensuring that they are well supported when attending the birthing hospital.
The demographic of clientele shows a vast mix of cultures including Pacific, Maori, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and with that comes a range of high risk expectant mothers. Ensuring they receive appropriate antenatal care has significantly shown improved outcomes for both mum and bub.
The robust program was developed and implemented by Vicki and has demonstrated the value of a successful shared care model in Midwifery practice.
