ACT Health, Canberra Health Services and Calvary Public Hospital Bruce have partnered with the Centre of Research Excellence in Stillbirth (Stillbirth CRE) to launch a new program which aims to reduce the rate of late gestation stillbirth.
Minister for Health, Rachel Stephen-Smith said the program, Safer Baby Bundle, provided maternity healthcare professionals with training, support and access to research so they can keep women and their babies safe through pregnancy.
Ms Stephen-Smith said research indicated that between 20 and 30 per cent of stillbirths might be prevented with better management and assessment of maternal risk factors.
“Tragically, six babies are stillborn every day in Australia, a rate that has changed little in two decades,” Ms Stephen-Smith said.
“We know every pregnancy is unique but there are women who have clear risk factors for still birth,” she said.
“The Safer Baby Bundle will help to identify these risks earlier and is designed to improve the care women and families receive.”
Ms Stephen-Smith said the program was informed by evidence-based research and a set of clinical recommendations.
“The Safer Baby Bundle aims to reduce the rate of stillbirth in Australia by 20 per cent by 2023,” the Minister said.
“Achieving this target would mean many Canberra families each and every year will be spared the devastation of having a stillborn baby,” she said.
Ms Stephen-Smith said nurses, midwifes, GPs, obstetricians and other health professionals would have access to E-learning modules and resources focussed on research which showed lives could be saved.
