Less than 24 hours after the Biloela Hospital birthing service reopened, baby Arlie Mae was the first to be born in the upgraded unit and welcomed by the delighted maternity team.
Returned birthing services have already delivered for one Queensland family.
Baby Arlie Mae couldn’t wait to be born at Biloela Hospital, arriving less than 24 hours after the local maternity service reopened.
Her proud parents Bronwyn and Benn were delighted when Arlie decided to come into the world around 2am today (Tuesday 15 September).
Returned birthing services
A new chapter in maternity care has begun in two rural Queensland communities, as planned birthing services returned to Cooktown and Biloela hospitals, allowing eligible women to give birth closer to home.
Maternity services returned yesterday (Monday 14 September), following significant work by both hospital and health services (HHSs) to strengthen local clinical teams, upgrade facilities and establish high-quality, safe and sustainable models of care.
This brings an end to a challenging period where local women and their families from both communities had to travel to other hospitals to give birth.
Biloela celebrates after more than four years on bypass
Over recent months, Central Queensland HHS worked with maternity staff, nurses, medical officers and support teams on training and simulation exercises.
These sessions were designed to strengthen clinical skills, teamwork and emergency response capability.
Maternity team members have welcomed the reopening of birthing services at Biloela Hospital.
Central Queensland HHS Chief Executive Lisa Blackler said the return of birthing was an important milestone for the Biloela community.
“I’m so proud of the local families, the consumers, the women and everyone that has worked on returning birthing to this community,” Ms Blackler said.
“Opening referrals means local women can now begin discussing with their healthcare team whether they may be eligible to give birth closer to home.”
For Biloela Hospital Maternity Unit Manager Diane Tamariki, the return of local birthing services was a moment the community had been eagerly awaiting.
“There has been tears of joy and happiness since we found out that birthing services were returning to Biloela,” Ms Tamariki said.
“Women just want to be close to home and their families at such a special time in their lives.”
Pregnant women living in the Biloela region should speak with their healthcare team about their maternity care options and whether local birthing is suitable for them.
Along with upgrading the hospital’s theatre, recovery area and birthing suite for the return of services, new staff accommodation is being built to attract and retain skilled workers and support ongoing local maternity care.
Cooktown opens following sustained workforce development and recruitment
Torres and Cape HHS’s efforts to recruit to Cooktown Multipurpose Health Service have also paid off.
The current medical team has successfully added midwives alongside obstetric-trained and anaesthetic-trained Rural Generalists.
For Georgia, Senior Health Worker in Cooktown’s Midwifery team, bringing birthing services back to the area means more than providing care closer to home.
Torres and Cape HHS Chief Executive Rex O’Rourke said the return of birthing services gave local women greater choice about where they give birth.
“We expect approximately 40 births each year from Cooktown and surrounding communities,” Mr O’Rourke said.
“Women may still choose to birth elsewhere, however, for the first time in many years they once again have the choice to birth locally.”
The return of local birthing services means eligible women, supported by their healthcare team, can decide whether Cooktown is an appropriate place for them to give birth.
For women requiring care outside the scope of the local service, established referral and escalation pathways would continue to support access to higher-level maternity and specialist services.