Maternity Services
Mission Statement
To deliver safe and effective maternity and obstetric services in partnership with women, their families/whanau, and other primary maternity and well child providers.
Values
Maternity Services shares and builds on the values of Hawke’s Bay District Health Board. The service especially values respect; partnership; professionalism; trust and teamwork in all its relationships.
Philosophy
Maternity Services adopts the philosophy of patient focused care.
Service delivery
Maternity Services is a division of Hawke's Bay District Health Board. The unit provides a variety of maternity and obstetric services to people living in this community as follows:
Antenatal and maternity
Gives expectant women and their whanau the opportunity to enhance their knowledge, skills, confidence and self awareness so that they will be able to make informed decisions about their maternity care. The woman will be able to apply various solutions to their own needs during the maternity period and to the needs of her newborn child. The service provides access for women and their whanau to unbiased, accurate, culturally safe information about their care options, carers and entitlements.
Specialist obsetric consultation
Referral to a specialist can occur as soon as a problem is suspected or identified and any request for referral by the woman will also be actioned accordingly. Referral will most often be to an obstetrician, however, in some instances, a referral to another specialist such as a physician, anaesthetist, surgeon, paediatrician, or psychiatrist may also be appropriate.
Primary lead maternity carers
Midwives offer full LMC primary maternity responsibilities, either as caseload midwives or as team midwives.
Facilities
Gives childbearing women and their newborn babies access to a facility, which has a woman/whanau centred environment and is clinically and culturally safe. In conjunction with the LMC, the maternity facility provides inpatient services during labour and birth and the immediate postpartum period until discharge home. The service commences with the admission of the woman in established labour (or for induction, where clinically appropriate) and ends when the woman is clinically ready for discharge home.
Secondary maternity services
Provides additional care during the antenatal, labour & birth and postnatal periods for women and babies who experience complications and who, in reference to the Referral Guidelines, have a clinical need for referral to the secondary maternity service for either consultation or transfer on a planned or emergency basis. Is a multidisciplinary team that includes obstetricians, midwives, anaesthetists, paediatricians, radiologists, operating theatre staff and ancillary staff and which provides:
- outpatient service for assessment, diagnosis, treatment
- 24 hour/day, 7 day/week consultation service for women/babies who are under the care of an LMC
- 24 hour/day, 7 day/week day patient and/or inpatient service for women transferred to the care of the secondary maternity service and includes transfer of care for either elective or emergency caesarean sections
- up to six weeks after delivery, a follow up specialist and lactation consultancy service for women and babies who experience complications.
Maternity Services employs a variety of professional and non professional staff to undertake the delivery of these services.
Caseload midwives
Lead maternity carers work independently to provide continuity of maternity care.
The caseload midwifery service is woman-focused. The midwives provide care from the first antenatal visit through to the labour and delivery period, and up until the six-week check. This is beneficial for both women and their babies.
Ante-natal visits are carried out at the woman’s home or at a District Health Board facility. A range of flexible options for labour and birth are offered.
Although backed by the Hawke’s Bay District Health Board the Caseload midwives operate independently, and their service starts with free pregnancy testing, and ends when women are at home confidently caring for their babies.
They are contactable on (06) 878 1371.
Staffing
The unit is staffed by 79 full-time staff and 20 casual staff.
· Manager Maternity Services (1)
· Clinical Midwifery Advisor (1)
· Clinical Director (1)
· Obstetricians (4)
· Registrar (1)
· House surgeons (4)
· Midwife Coordinator Inpatient Services (1)
· Midwife Coordinator Outpatient Services (1)
· Midwives 28 (casuals 7)
· Team midwives (4)
· Caseload midwives (2)
· Lactation Consultant (1)
· Social worker (.5)
· Staff Nurses 5 (5 casual)
· Care Associates 15 (7 casual)
· Support Associates (3)
· Administration Coordinator (1)
· Personal Assistant (1)
· Clerical Assistant (1)
· Receptionists 4 (1 casual)
Team midwives
The team works closely in groups of two to three midwives.
The team aims to provide Woman and Family/Whanau focused care.
The team offers:
- Midwifery support during the Antenatal and Postnatal periods
- An alternative choice of midwifery care for women transferred to Secondary Care or for those women who prefer this option
- A ‘visit at home’ service
- A 7 day service, available between 8.00am and 4.30pm. Full support after hours is available from unit based Midwives.
Postnatal home visits
A team midwife will visit women in the ward and discuss feeding issues or any concerns they may have and begin planning for their discharge home.
The midwives will visit women within the first 24 hours of discharge from the maternity facility.
Together they will plan with women continued home support for the next four weeks.
At the end of this time women will be referred back to their General Practitioner and the Well Child Provider of their choice.
They are contactable on: (06) 878 8109 ext 6062 or mobile 025 423 131.
The team offers free and confidential advice and assistance with:
- Healthy antenatal care
- Pregnancy care and options
- Pregnancy education
- Baby feeding & breast care
- Contraception
- Promoting family / whanau support
Delivery suite
The delivery suite at Ata Rangi is a vibrant, exciting and very rewarding area to work in.
All the secondary care labours and deliveries for Hawke’s Bay are cared for there, as well as a large percentage of primary care women.
Five obstetricians are based at Ata Rangi, and as well as overseeing the care of women requiring secondary care, clinical experience and teaching is offered to the registrars and senior house officers who rotate through the unit.
The enthusiastic team of experienced midwives are committed to giving each woman the childbirth experience each would like along with ensuring the safety of mother and baby.
They are assisted by a very able team of care associates, unit receptionists and support associates.
Delivery suite midwives provide care during labour and delivery for the women under DHB care, support to the Lead Maternity Carers who use the unit for their primary care women, and assess women who come to the unit for advice or help.
Holiday time often brings pregnant women to the unit who have chosen Hawkes Bay for their holiday and have a problem with their pregnancy while they are here.
Postnatal
The postnatal midwives/staff nurses in an advocacy role provide a supportive environment for maternal infant bonding. Their clinical expertise forms the basis for high quality individualised care which is evidence based and focused on the implementation of “The Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding”. Through the coordination of other health services midwives/staff nurses are able to meet the needs of mothers, their babies, and their families/Whanau in an holistic humanistic way, which has foundation under the Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi of partnerships, protection and participation.
The Ata Rangi inpatient ward consists of 14 single postnatal rooms and 4 double antenatal rooms.
Antenatal
Ata Rangi antenatal ward provides 24 hours in-patient care for women experiencing complications in their pregnancies. Care is directed by a specialist obstetrician and provided by a team of dedicated and skilled midwives. Some women stay only a few days, other several weeks so Ata Rangi becomes a “home away from home”.
Outpatient clinics
Antenatal outpatient clinics offer specialist obstetrician and midwifery care to the women of Hawke’s Bay. The clinic is situated in the antenatal department of Ata Rangi and operates Monday to Friday. The clinic provides:
- Specialist obstetrician consultations – referrals to these are made from Lead Maternity Carers or primary providers.
- A multi-disciplinary service is available with a physician and diabetes services for pregnant women with complex needs.
- Midwifery staff are available to provide a Lead Maternity Carer service to women
- Midwifery staff also provide community support and work closely with community resources, (Well Child Providers, etc)
Support outside the clinic hours is provided by other midwifery staff of Ata Rangi.
Preparation for parenthood free antenatal classes
Classes cover:
- Pregnancy and Health
- Baby’s development
- Signs of Labour
- Nutrition
- Support Person’s Role
- Exercise and Relaxation
- After the birth in hospital
- Early days at home
- Breast Feeding
- Infant care and safety
- LMC Role
- Pain Management
- Community Midwife Services
- Community Support for parents
- All classes led by midwives and/or physiotherapist
- Classes are informal and we welcome your questions
Additional services available Napier Maternity Unit
Tour 2.30pm every Wednesday
Phone Napier Maternity Unit 878 8109 for more information
Pool classes (relaxation and exercise)
12 noon every Tuesday at the
Napier Health Centre
BOOKINGS ESSENTIAL
Phone: (06) 834 1820
Hastings (Ata Rangi) Maternity Unit
Tour 1.00pm every Wednesday
Meet at Ata Rangi Reception
Pool classes (relaxation and exercise)
11.15 every Tuesday at the Physio Department Hawke’s Bay Hospital, Hastings.
For information about pool classes phone Physio Department 878 1304
Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU)
Some babies need special attention after they are born, and the Hawke’s Bay District Health Board hospital provides a Special Care Baby Unit. Mothers of these babies are supported and cared for in the postnatal ward until well enough to be discharged. After that there are a variety of community and hospital services available to support the baby’s family.
Accommodation
Accommodation is available within the hospital area for mothers whose babies are in SCBU for an extended period after the mother is ready to be discharged. Support persons from out of the district may be accommodated (for a small charge). | 
