Community upset at Epworth maternity closure

EPWORTH Geelong’s plan to cease maternity services in 2023 has sparked disappointment in the community, with a petition opposing the decision pulling in more than 7,000 signatures within a day.

Epworth Healthcare made the announcement on Monday this week, stating staff shortages at the private hospital in Waurn Ponds had forced it to end maternity services in the short term and potentially forever.

The group says it has entered consultation with all affected staff, unions and doctors.

Epworth HealthCare group chief executive Dr Lachlan Henderson said the proposal to close the maternity service followed continued workforce shortages across the maternity healthcare team.

“Workforce shortages in nursing and midwifery are being experienced globally, and throughout Australia and our repeated, extensive efforts to recruit midwifery staff at the Epworth Geelong Maternity unit has met with limited success.

“A high quality service requires a minimum number of skilled and competent midwifery, nursing, allied health and specialist medical practitioners, across a 24-hour, seven day per week period.

“We have made the difficult announcement of our proposed closure.

“After consultation is complete, if a decision is made to close, the closure of our Epworth Geelong maternity service is anticipated to occur on March 1, 2023.”

Elise Davey posted the petition “Save Epworth Geelong Maternity Unit” on change.org on Tuesday afternoon, and the petition had more than 7,700 signatures less than 24 hours later.

“For the Epworth to close its maternity services when it is currently staffed by two excellent groups of obstetricians, at a time when the community need is so high will have untold effects on the public maternity service, the lives of the families already engaged with their care and indeed on the reputation of the Epworth at large,” the petition states.

Several signatories left comments indicating they were either employed in the maternity unit, Epworth staff, or had delivered their children at Epworth Geelong.

Former G21 chief executive officer Elaine Carbines was among the commenters.

“Population growth in our region necessitates that we have sufficient maternity services to meet demand,” Ms Carbines wrote.

“It would be a very short-sighted decision to close Epworth’s maternity service in these circumstances.”

Dr Henderson said everyone who worked in the Epworth Geelong Maternity unit “has shown an amazing dedication to this service”.

“We are incredibly proud of our midwives, specialists and maternity support staff who have provided exceptional care to families in the Geelong region since the service commenced in 2017.

“We are working with our obstetricians to contact all booked maternity patients.”

He said Epworth Geelong had established a dedicated maternity concierge service, at which booked patients could phone 03 9426 0622 (Monday-Friday, 8am-6pm) to discuss their individual circumstances.

Epworth Geelong has paused new maternity bookings during the consultation, but other clinical services at the hospital are not affected.