Shared maternity care aims to provide a high-quality community-based, holistic, safe and culturally appropriate model of care for women which offers continuity and convenience. This model of care is popular with women who are healthy and have a normal pregnancy.
How to become a shared maternity care affiliate
The credentialing of shared maternity care affiliate GPs is managed through a Shared Maternity Care Collaborative with representatives from:
- Mercy Health (Mercy Hospital for Women)
- The Royal Women’s Hospital (Parkville)
- Northern Health
- Western Health
Guidelines For Shared Maternity Care Affiliates 2021
These Guidelines have been developed for the provision of shared maternity care between The Royal Women’s Hospital, Mercy Hospital for Women, Western Health and Northern Health (the Hospitals) and shared maternity care affiliates credentialed at these hospitals.
Download here.
To credential as a shared maternity care affiliate GP or obstetrician, please download the application form below and return complete with all the required documentation to the Primary Care Liaison unit via [email protected].
Our Primary Care Liaison Unit will assess all GP and obstetrician applications. Depending on qualifications and experience, applicants may be required to complete a Certificate in Women’s Health and/or undertake supervisory sessions at our antenatal clinics.
Affiliates will be invited to undertake re-credentialing at the end of each three-year period. To meet re-credentialing requirements, affiliates must provide evidence of:
- current medical registration
- medical indemnity insurance
- a minimum of 5 pregnancy-related Continuing Professional Development hours.
- Starting the 2026-2028 triennium, this will change to a minimum of 8 CPD hours, including 6 hours of core units provided by the collaborative
- a signed Shared Maternity Care Affiliate agreement.
Shared Maternity Care Midwife, The Royal Women's Hospital
- Email address: [email protected]
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About:
Midwives seeking credentialing as a Shared Maternity Care Affiliate should email The Royal Women’s Hospital.
Schedule of visits
At the first hospital appointment, patients will be given a schedule of visits. They will also be given a Victorian Maternity Record (VMR). To ensure continuity of care, the VMR is used for all shared maternity care patients. Read more about the Victorian Maternity Record.
Contacts
For non-urgent enquiries, please contact:
Primary Care Liaison Team
- Email address: [email protected]
- Website: health-services.mercyhealth.com.au/health-professionals/primary-care-liaison-unit
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About:
The team is available on a part time basis to assist general practice with navigating hospital services and accessing GP education and credentialing.