The Antenatal Shared Care Program aims to provide a high standard of antenatal care for women who have a low risk pregnancy. The women are cared for by either their obstetrician or antenatal midwife services at the local hospital in conjunction with their general practitioner.

The objectives of the General Practitioners' Antenatal Shared Care Program are:

• To provide choice, continuity of care and greater accessibility for women by seeing their general practitioner during pregnancy.
• To enable registered general practitioners to provide a high standard of antenatal care to women who are considered suitable for antenatal shared care.
• To provide GPs with a recommended best practice standard of antenatal shared care.
• To reduce demand on obstetricians and hospital outpatient services.
• Provide clear referral paths when low risk pregnancy deviates from the normal.
• Standardisation of antenatal care across the division.

This local program has been strengthened with the introduction on the 10th September 2008 by NSW Heath: Improving Early Pregnancy Care: A strategy to link with General Practice initiative.

The objectives for this initiative are:

• Improve care pathways for general practice to emergency departments and ongoing care whan a woman presents with vaginal bleeding and lower abdominal pain in early pregnancy.
• Inform general practice about new services available to women in early pregnancy - including early pregnancy units, early pregnancy assessment services, antenatal clinics and telephone help lines.
• Build communicaiton pathways and understanding between general practice, emergency departments and maternity services in relation to early pregnancy care.
• Enhance the skills of general practitioners about pre-conceptual care including supporting pregnant women to adopt healthy behaviours such as smoking cessation, avoidance of alcohol and other drugs, breastfeeding and good nutrition.

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Having a Baby