Northside Birth Centre Feasibility Study and Service Model Development

Purpose

In response to community calls for a freestanding birth centre on Canberra’s northside, the ACT Health Directorate commissioned HealthConsult to explore options for integrating a birth centre into the Northside Hospital redevelopment. The objective was to identify a suitable operating model for a hospital-based birth centre and assess the feasibility of a separate, community-based facility. The study aligned with the Territory’s strategic "Maternity in Focus" policy, aiming for midwifery continuity of care for 50% of ACT births by 2028 and co-designed Birthing-on-Country services for First Nations families.

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Approach

HealthConsult delivered a structured, evidence-based approach involving:

• Comprehensive analysis of local maternity data and forecasting future demand scenarios.
• Benchmarking of birth-centre models from Australia and New Zealand.
• Extensive stakeholder consultations through focus groups and interviews to ensure alignment with community and clinical needs.
• Detailed modelling to evaluate feasibility and cost implications of proposed birth-centre options.

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Outcome

HealthConsult's approach provided ACT Health with:

• A robust business case clearly outlining viable options for a birth centre within the Northside Hospital redevelopment.
• Dynamic tools for ongoing scenario testing and resource planning.
• Clear guidance on when a future freestanding community-based birth centre would be economically viable.
• Stakeholder acceptance and validation - all feasibility criteria, weightings, and final scoring were developed and validated collaboratively with diverse stakeholders (clinical, community, policy).

ACT Health commended HealthConsult for the robustness, comprehensiveness, and practical applicability of the study’soutputs, which were endorsed and released publicly by the Government. The work enabled confident progression of the Northside Hospital redevelopment birth-centre design, while clearly establishing conditions under which a future freestanding birth centre could be pursued.

In releasing the study Rachel Stephen-Smith said -

“I have endorsed the feasibility study recommendation in principle and asked Infrastructure Canberra to develop a co-design process to ensure the next steps are taken in consultation with stakeholders, including midwives, consumers and birth centre advocates,”

“The report provides a solid foundation for a design process to ensure the new birth centres supports culturally safe, trauma-informed care that incorporates principles of Birthing with Country, including space for family, traditional practices and connection to Country.”

The Northside Birth Centre Feasibility Study 2024 can be found here: https://www.act.gov.au/open/act-birth-centre-feasibility-study-report