Overview
The Maternity Assessment Unit (MAU) is a 24 hour service that provides care and support if you:
- are pregnant, over 20 weeks, and have pregnancy related concerns
- think you are in labour or your waters (membranes) have broken
- have concerns about your recovery, up until four weeks after your baby is born.
MATERNITY SERVICES (24 HOURS) – 03 8754 3400
You should phone maternity services during your pregnancy if you experience any of the following:
- any vaginal bleeding
- uncontrollable vomiting or diarrhea
- stomach pain or cramping
- your baby is not moving as it usually does
- unusual headaches and blurred vision
- fainting
- after a fall, a minor car accident or any minor abdominal trauma
- fever or unwell
- constant itching with or without a rash
- if your waters break
- if you think you are in labour
- if you are concerned about your pregnancy.
You should phone maternity services if after your baby has been born you:
- experience an increase in vaginal bleeding or passing blood clots
- get a fever
- see redness or ooze from your vaginal or caesarean wound
- believe your stitches have come apart
- get an epidural headache—this occurs after an epidural or spinal anaesthetic in labour or a caesarean section. The headache will resolve when you are lying down but come back every time you are sitting or standing.
Please call an ambulance if it is an emergency (000).
Interpreter Service: A free and confidential interpreter service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Patients should be made aware of the Interpreter Service and to advise staff if they require an interpreter.
Outpatient Antenatal Clinic: for routine antenatal care, regular appointments between 12 and 40 weeks gestation with a midwife or obstetrician, or combination of both midwifery and obstetric care.
Pregnancy Day Stay Clinic: for routine fetal monitoring during pregnancy of women with complications, or those considered to have a high risk pregnancy.
Lactation Services: breastfeeding advice and support for women during pregnancy, accessible both by inpatients and as an outpatient service.
Midwifery in the Home: postnatal care provided by a midwife to ensure the ongoing wellbeing of mother and baby after discharge from hospital.
MIA Radiology: for ultrasound services available in the hospital.
Dorevitch Pathology: pathology service available in the hospital for blood, urine and/or vaginal swab testing.
Getting here
Find us at:
300 Princes Highway
Werribee Victoria 3030
For more information on getting here, visit Werribee Mercy Hospital .
Location details
The Maternity Assessment Unit is located in the Maternity Services Unit of the main hospital building. Please advise reception when you arrive and a midwife will triage you.
On-site signage and indicators
Look for the N/A signs on-site.
How can people get access?
Access to either the Maternity Assessment Unit or the Assessment Rooms requires swipe card access.
Opening hours
The Maternity Assessment Unit is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
The service operates like an emergency department. You will be triaged and assessed based on the clinical urgency of your condition.
Your appointment
What to do before
No appointments are required for this service.
The Maternity Assessment Unit (MAU) is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
MATERNITY SERVICES (24 HOURS): 03 8754 3400
We recommend that you phone the midwives regarding your concern before coming in to the hospital. This way, we can provide you with advice, advise you to come in for assessment, or recommend an appropriate course of action to manage your concern.
Please phone the midwives for any concern or if you think you are in labour.
For emergencies, please phone an ambulance.
What to bring
When you come to the Maternity Assessment Unit, please bring:
- your Victorian Maternity Record (VMR)
- a hospital bag, containing the clothing and other personal items you need for a stay in hospital—if you think you are in labour, we recommend having your hospital bag in the car. If you are admitted to the Birth Suite, your partner or support person can collect your bag from the car.
- your partner or support person—we welcome your partner or support person to accompany you into the Assessment Unit. We ask that, where possible, children are cared for outside of the clinic for the comfort of other patients and for your child’s safety.
What to expect on the day
A five-minute ‘drop off’ zone is available outside of the Maternity Service Department; however, we request that you move your car to an appropriate car space as soon as possible. On-site car parking is available for a fee.
When you arrive, please ‘check in’ with the Maternity Reception clerk. They will advise the triage midwife that you have arrived.
The Maternity Assessment Unit operates similarly to an Emergency Department. A midwife will assess and triage you within 15 minutes of arriving. You will be asked questions related to your pregnancy and the signs and/or symptoms that you are concerned about. This information will determine the type of care you require and how urgently you require this care.
If your condition is not urgent, you may be asked to wait to be assessed and treated. If your condition worsens while you are waiting, please inform the staff.
It is important that you understand that women will be prioritised based on clinical need, rather than order of arrival.
More information
Team Composition
Reception: When you arrive please ‘check-in’ with the Maternity Reception clerk who will advise the triage midwife that you have arrived.
Triage midwife: One of our experienced midwives will discuss your concerns with you, assess you and your baby, arrange any blood tests, ultrasounds, and results, and follow up appointments or admission, if required. The midwife will endeavour to answer all of your questions, reassure your concerns and provide you with any take home information handouts that may be related to your concerns or condition.
Doctor: Our midwives and doctors work closely together as a team. The triage midwife may consult with one of our doctors about your condition, or you may require a medical review by the doctor. Our doctors can perform general ultrasounds of your baby’s position and the fluid around your body. If required, the doctor can provide ultrasound request forms or medication prescriptions.
What questions should you ask
- What should I do if I am still concerned or my condition does not change when I go home?
- What signs and/or symptoms should I be aware of regarding my condition and what should I do if these occur?
- Do I need any blood tests/ultrasounds/medications?
- When should I see my antenatal care provider again?
Discharge information
The midwife will record a summary of your visit in your Victorian Maternity Record book and on your computer based pregnancy record, so that other health care providers are aware of your visit to Maternity Assessment Unit, and any treatment and management plan made for your pregnancy.
If you require a blood test or ultrasound, we will give you the request form before you are discharged. We will explain when you need to have the test or scan, and when you will receive the results.
If you are given a prescription for medication, we will give you the prescription and the doctor will explain what the medication is for and how to take the medication safely.
Before you leave the hospital, we will confirm any follow up appointments.
Additional support
Depending on the reason for your visit, the midwife and/or doctor may suggest a referral to one of the hospital’s allied health services. These may include the :
- Lactation Service
- Physiotherapy Department
- Anaesthetic Department
- Social Work Department
- Pastoral Care service.
Who to call if you have concerns afterwards
The hospital midwives are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If your concern or symptoms persist after being discharged from the Maternity Assessment Unit, please phone our midwives on 03 8754 3400 for advice or further recommendations.
For health professionals
The Maternity Assessment Unit (MAU) is a clinic that operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for women to be assessed for any concerns or pregnancy related conditions from 20 weeks gestation, or for women with complications after delivery for up to four weeks postpartum.
Procedural information
The Maternity Assessment Unit is generally accessed by women on the basis of individual need. Sometimes a patient may describe symptoms or show clinical signs that may indicate a pregnancy condition or complication during a routine antenatal or G.P. appointment. In this case, the patient can be referred to the Maternity Assessment Unit clinic for timely expert assessment and management.
Health providers are encouraged to phone the Maternity Services Department on 03 8754 3400 to discuss the patient’s condition and determine if the Maternity Assessment Unit clinic is the appropriate place for assessment. A written referral should be given to the patient and they should be advised to present to the Maternity Services Reception with the referral.
The Maternity Assessment Unit clinic operates similar to an emergency department, with a triage system. Patients will be triaged on arrival and then assessed in an order based on clinical need rather than arrival time.
How to prepare the patient
It is important that the patient is aware of the contact phone number for the hospital and where to locate the Maternity Services Reception.
Patients should be informed and provided written take-home information regarding when to phone the hospital for advice. If being referred to Maternity Assessment Unit, patients should understand why they are being referred to the service.
What/when you should refer to us
Patients who are over 20 weeks pregnant and experience:
- reduced fetal movements
- high blood pressure, with or without proteinuria
- headaches with visual disturbances
- vaginal bleeding
- abdominal pain, either constant or coming and coming
- uncontrolled itching with or without a rash.
Patients who are up to 4 weeks postpartum and experience:
- wound breakdown
- signs of infection, i.e. fever, localised redness and pain, wound ooze
- mastitis
- patients who experience a post-epidural headache after having an epidural or spinal anaesthetic.
What/when you should not refer to us
- Patients who are under 20 weeks pregnant should present to the Emergency Department
- Patients who are more than 4 weeks postpartum
- Patients experiencing non-pregnancy related conditions, i.e. colds, cough, vomiting, diarrhoea or urinary discomfort. A G.P. or Emergency Department would be more appropriate.
- Patients requiring regular fetal monitoring during pregnancy, i.e. women with Gestational Diabetes on Insulin. These patients require a Pregnancy Day Stay referral.
- Routine antenatal care should be referred to the Outpatient Antenatal Clinic.
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