Overview
With shared maternity care, your ongoing care is divided between GPs and our outpatient clinic. This type of care is for women with an uncomplicated pregnancy who prefer to see a GP for most of their pregnancy care. Our outpatient clinic doctors will see you for key check-ups.
To participate in shared maternity care, your GP must be registered with Werribee Mercy Hospital as an accredited antenatal care provider. View our list of Werribee Mercy Hospital shared care affiliates to find a GP in your area.
Related services
Getting here
Find us at:
Werribee Mercy Hospital
296 Princes Highway
Werribee Victoria 3030
For more information on getting here, visit Outpatient Clinics or find out more about Werribee Mercy Hospital.
Opening hours
Monday to Friday 9am–5pm.
Your appointment
What to do before
Before your appointment, it is important that you review information on the different pregnancy models of care we offer.
Information about your outpatient clinic appointment is included in the Outpatient clinics page along with details on how to find us.
What to bring
Please bring:
- your appointment letter
- your Medicare card (or your passport and private healthcare fund if you do not have a Medicare card)
- any pathology or ultrasound results. (If you don’t have a copy of these, please bring contact details for where the test was completed so we can get a copy of the result.)
What to expect on the day
Your first visit may take up to two hours. Please allow about one hour for regular visits.
When you arrive, you will need to confirm your details with the reception staff. You will then see a midwife and an obstetrician if required.
More information
Team Composition
Throughout your experience, you may be supported by:
- GPs
- Werribee Mercy Hospital obstetricians and midwives.
Opportunities to be involved in research
We regularly participate in research projects. You can find more information about these projects in our waiting rooms, including how they can benefit other babies, mothers and families. Your midwife may also talk to you about participating in any projects.
For health professionals
Shared maternity care with an accredited GPs is for normal risk (uncomplicated) pregnancies. Some key reviews are conducted at our outpatient clinic.
Our referral instructions and templates page explains how to refer to Mercy Health and provides you with the latest referral forms.
Procedural information
Please provide the following information:
- a full referral, including the chosen model of care
- any relevant pregnancy and related medical information
- any tests, scans, results or patient information
- social supports and any external agencies involved in your patient’s care.
Referrals to this service are assessed against the Statewide Referral Criteria. Please utilise HealthPathways to assist in making the referral. Referrals which do not meet the Statewide Referral Criteria will be declined.
How to prepare the patient
Please prepare your patient by:
- explaining alternative models of maternity care which may be suitable
- encouraging your patient to ask any questions she may have
- suggesting she book into a childbirth and parent education class if she is a first-time mother.
What/when you should refer to us
- Refer your patient if her pregnancy is low risk and she wants to be cared for in a shared care model.
Our clinic is receiving eReferrals via HealthLink SmartForms. Please see our Refer a patient page for more information.
What/when you should not refer to us
Women with high-risk or very high-risk pregnancies, or if your patient requires tertiary care.
More information
Professional development
Become a shared maternity care affiliate
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.
Guidelines For Shared Maternity Care Affiliates 2021
Contacts
In case of emergency, call 000
For patients
Outpatient Clinics - Antenatal
-
Phone numbers:
Outpatient Clinics - Antenatal
03 8754 3390
- Phone number: 03 8754 6710
- Website: Antenatal clinics
-
About:
Call this number for:
· Appointment questions
· Referral questions
· You want to speak to a midwife about your appointment
· You want to change your appointment
· You want to tell us you no longer need your appointment
DO NOT call this number if you are worried about your baby, have pain or are bleeding. Call Maternity services also listed on this page.
For Health Professionals
HealthPathways Melbourne
- Email address: [email protected]
- Website: HealthPathways Melbourne
-
About:
HealthPathways Melbourne provides clinicians with a single website to access clinical and referral pathways, and resources. Pathways are created by local GPs, working in partnership with specialists, nurses, allied health and other health professionals.
Mercy Health recommends clinicians to access HealthPathways Melbourne for guidance in assessing, managing and referring for patient conditions (login required).
Referrals to outpatient clinics at Mercy Health will be triaged against clinical information and investigations based on these guidelines.
Referrals that do not meet the required clinical information and investigations will not be accepted.
HealthPathways Melbourne is available for free to health professionals working in the North Western Melbourne and Eastern Melbourne Primary Health Network catchments.
Email HealthPathways to request access or if you need to confirm your username and password.
Healthlink SmartForm eReferrals
- Website: au.healthlink.net/support
-
About:
HealthLink is a secure digital platform for sending referrals directly from your GP practice software (Best Practice, Genie, Medical Director and MedTech Evolution).
Practices without conformant software can register for a free HealthLink Portal licence by completing the online registration form and noting in the comments/message field that you would like to use the SmartForms, then selecting the two checkboxes – (1) Receive Electronic Correspondence (free of charge) and (3) Send Electronic Smart Forms (My Aged Care, Transport for NSW, Monash Health etc).
Once HealthLink receives your completed registration application, this will be processed and the portal details will be forwarded to you.
eReferral Support Contact Information
- For GPs in the Eastern Melbourne Primary Healthcare Network region wanting to enable eReferrals (HealthLink Smartforms), please contact [email protected]or if urgent (03) 9046 0300.
- For GPs in the North Western Melbourne Primary Healthcare Network region wanting to enable eReferrals (HealthLink Smartforms), please contact HealthLink via phone: 1800 125 036 or email [email protected]
- For issues with HealthLink SmartForms, or to have this solution enabled within your clinical software system, please contact HealthLink on 1800 125 036 or [email protected].
Statewide Referral Criteria for Specialist Clinics - Victoria
- Website: Statewide Referral Criteria
-
About:
The Department of Health and Human Services has developed statewide referral criteria to assist GPs and clinicians referring patients to specialist clinics. These referral criteria have been developed to improve access to specialist clinics in public hospitals by improving the quality and appropriateness of referrals.
Primary Care Liaison Officer
- Email address: [email protected]
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Address:
Werribee Mercy Hospital
300 Princes Highway
Werribee Victoria 3030
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