A critical incident investigation into what led to a baby being born on the Kwinana Freeway after the mother was turned away from a public hospital has highlighted areas for improvement.
The mother-to-be and her partner attended St John of God (SJOG) Midland last year when the mother was in labour. However, they were told by hospital staff to go to Rockingham General Hospital as the hospital’s maternity services were on bypass.
Rockingham hospital is about 60 kilometres away and the couple were told an ambulance would not be provided.
Western Australia’s State Health Operations Centre has since taken on the role of overseeing and managing demand of public maternity services.
Health Minister Meredith Hammat confirmed the operations hub, designed to enhance emergency care access across the state, would take on the new responsibility following the incident.
“This means greater, active oversight of the state’s public maternity system to ensure patients and ambulances are sent to the most appropriate care setting in the event of a maternity service needing to divert patients,” she said.
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A critical incident investigation report carried out by the East Metropolitan Health Service found SJOG Midland did not have a procedure in place for how a woman should be transferred between hospitals when on bypass.
It also identified that the hospital had no requirement in place for staff to perform a vaginal examination immediately prior to such a transfer, something hospital staff reportedly did not do before sending the mother to Rockingham.
The report also noted that maternity patients attending SJOG Midland were “not informed about the potential of maternity diversion” and recommended such information should be included in the handheld record provided to patients during antenatal visits.
The report recommended relevant policies and procedures be created and for a case study to be developed and shared at relevant obstetric and maternity forums.
The WA Opposition told Parliament that across a five month period in 2025 maternity bypass was called every second day in the metropolitan area.
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A Perth obstetrician told Medical Forum that while the practice of a maternity ward going on bypass might have come as a surprise to families planning a baby, those in the industry were aware of it happening on a frequent basis.
They said Fiona Stanley and Osborne Park Hospitals went on bypass at least weekly and it was not uncommon for multiple maternity units across Perth to be on bypass at the same time, which would lead to patients having to travel beyond the next closest public hospital with a maternity ward.
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