Auckland DHB Maternity Services
National Women's Hospital at ADHB is the largest maternity hospital in Australasia, with
approximately 7,500 babies born at each year; it is a tertiary referral centre whilst also providing
maternity care to women in the central Auckland area. The services are spread across the region to
include community clinics, women’s homes, outpatient clinics and hospital care. A majority of
women who birth at National Women’s are under the care of a midwife or obstetrician lead
maternity carer. Our midwives practice across the spectrum of maternity care from women with
normal pregnancies and birth to those with high risk complications.
There are a number of different areas that midwives can work within National Women’s, these
include:
Community Midwifery Service
Midwives undertake the role of Lead maternity Carer and provide antenatal and postnatal care for
women; Labour care and birth attendance is provided by labour and birthing suite midwives.
Community midwives maintain a caseload of women, working in hospital, community clinics and
women's homes. Community midwives are autonomous and are responsible for providing care and
referring women to other services as appropriate.
Community midwives work Monday to Friday 8:00am–4.30pm with occasional weekend work. They
work in the community and clinics at women’s homes, doctor’s surgeries and hospitals in and around
central Auckland; therefore a driver’s licence is essential. Midwives are encouraged to provide
intrapartum care when possible to maintain their skills across the full scope of midwifery practice.
Labour and Birthing Suite /HDU
There are 14 birthing rooms plus a two bedded High Dependency unit, one-on-one care is given to all
women in labour and there are approximately 18 births per day. Midwives work in partnership with
women and their families to achieve a safe and fulfilling outcome and in accordance with the
woman’s birth plan. Labour and Birthing Suite has been purpose built to accommodate privacy and
excellent work flows, with up to date facilities such as birth pools in half of the rooms, stunning
views, and immediate access to theatres if required. One-on-one care for women with both high and
low risk pregnancies/labour/birth is provided. You also provide care for women under the care of
private obstetricians. There is a Midwifery Educator to provide specific oversight during orientation
to the service.
Antenatal / Postnatal Ward - Tamaki Ward
Tamaki is an antenatal and postnatal ward of 33 beds. This is primarily the low medical risk and high
social acuity ward where we care for women with significant mental health issues, drug and alcohol
dependency, family violence and heavy CYFS involvement. Staff work alongside the multidisciplinary
team that includes Obstetricians, LMCs, Social Workers, Lactation Consultants, Physiotherapists,
Pharmacists, Dieticians as well as the Obstetric Medical team. We work closely with the ADAPT team
and the Maori Midwife Advisor, to care and support ‘at risk’ women.
High Risk Antenatal / Postnatal Ward 96/98
Wards 96 and 98 are high risk obstetric wards of 22 antenatal and postnatal beds each. We look
after women with complex obstetric problems or medical conditions that complicate the pregnancy.
The staff work with a multi-disciplinary team that includes Obstetric Physicians, Social Workers,
Diabetic Midwife Specialists, as well as the Obstetric Medical team. We encourage on-going
professional education as well as providing the opportunity to attend study days that are arranged
through ADHB Learning and Development. We have an excellent pain management service with
study days to improve our midwives skill base.
Woman’s Assessment Unit (WAU)
WAU is a 15 bedded unit open 24 hours a day, seven days a week throughout the year and provides
both gynaecology and maternity care. WAU is an acute admissions area and can be likened to a
Women's Health EDU.
Our services include maternity assessments antepartum and postpartum up to six weeks, induction
of labour, pregnant and non-pregnant acute gynaecological conditions, ECV clinic and the
bereavement service. This service is for women 20 weeks and over who experience an IUD or require
a termination of pregnancy for medical indications or fetal abnormality. Our team includes
midwives, nurses specialising in gynaecology, health care assistants and ward clerks. The team liaise
closely with the obstetricians, multidisciplinary team, LMCs and private obstetricians to provide an
efficient and effective service. Approximately 35 women are seen each day and 1300 women a
month.
Midwifery Professional Development
On-going midwifery professional development is seen as essential for maintaining a high standard of
midwifery care, and ADHB is committed to providing every opportunity for midwives to further their
learning and skill levels. A team of senior midwives including, 4 midwifery educators and a joint
appointment with the school of midwifery, work with the Director of Midwifery to present a full
calendar of events supporting midwifery education to its staff. Most learning events are issued points
by NZ Midwifery Council toward recertification. Assistance is provided for midwives to maintain
professional portfolios and advance to leadership positions wherever possible. All midwives are
supported to achieve NZ Midwifery Council recertification programmes. These are fun, exciting and
interactive study programmes which enhance learning and create a great team spirit.
ADHB is unique in providing a Continuing Midwifery Education Fund (CME) which is a personal fund
allocated to each midwife on an annual basis to support other professional development costs, e.g.
attendance at conferences, journal subscriptions, and textbooks.