Roles and responsibilities
The Chief Midwifery Officer (CMwO) is the senior professional midwifery leader within government. The role provides expert advice on midwifery, maternity and newborn care, influences policy and reform, and ensures the midwifery profession has a voice in health system decision-making.
The Chief Midwife works across many branches and divisions within government providing advice to support system wide capability including:
- Provide strategic leadership and expert advice to government, health services, professional bodies and the broader health sector on maternity, newborn, women's health and midwifery matters.
- Lead system-wide planning and policy development to ensure maternity and newborn services are responsive to current and future population needs, including consideration of service capability, workforce sustainability, access, equity, demographic change and emerging models of care.
- Promote collaboration across government, health services, Local Health Service Networks, professional organisations, academic institutions and consumer groups to strengthen maternity and newborn care across Victoria.
- Advise on the development, sustainability and optimisation of the maternity and newborn workforce, including initiatives that support workforce attraction, retention, scope of practice, education, clinical leadership and innovation across metropolitan, rural and regional settings.
- Champion evidence-based models of care that improve outcomes, enhance women's choice and support the delivery of safe, equitable, culturally responsive and person-centred maternity and newborn services.
- Support the implementation of statewide maternity and newborn priorities, including the Victorian Maternity Taskforce recommendations, through strategic policy, reform and investment advice.
- Represent Victoria on maternity, newborn and midwifery advisory bodies, committees and reference groups at state, national and international levels.
- Promote clinical quality, safety and continuous improvement across maternity and newborn services, including supporting alignment with relevant capability frameworks, standards and best-practice approaches.
- Provide strategic leadership on workforce and service innovation, including opportunities to strengthen care across sexual and reproductive health, neonatal care, maternal and child health, virtual care and home-based models of care.
Support partnerships with Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations, Koori Maternity Services and First Nations communities to advance culturally safe care and strengthen First Nations workforce participation and leadership.
Key activities
System Planning and Strategy
Provide strategic leadership and advice on the planning, capability and sustainability of Victoria's maternity and newborn services. Lead system-wide consideration of service demand, access, equity and workforce sustainability, informed by population, demographic and service utilisation trends. Support service commissioning, redevelopment and implementation of Victorian Maternity Taskforce priorities.
Workforce
Provide leadership on the development, sustainability and optimisation of the maternity and newborn workforce across Victoria. Advise on workforce policy, education, training, scope of practice and clinical leadership initiatives to support a skilled, adaptable and sustainable workforce. Promote innovative approaches to workforce development, including strengthening First Nations workforce participation and leadership.
Performance
Support the delivery of high-quality, safe and sustainable maternity and newborn services across Victoria. Provide strategic advice on service models, planning, performance and funding opportunities, and promote alignment with statewide priorities, capability frameworks and best-practice approaches.
Policy
Lead the development of strategic policy that strengthens maternity and newborn care and enhances women's choice and access to evidence-based models of care. Promote innovation across maternity services, including home-based, virtual and close-to-home care, and oversee the ongoing development of statewide frameworks and reform priorities, including implementation of Victorian Maternity Taskforce recommendations.
About the Chief Midwifery Officer
Elisa McDonald is an experienced maternity leader and health policy advisor with expertise in clinical care, education, service leadership and system reform. She has worked across rural and metropolitan health services and has led numerous initiatives to strengthen workforce capability, improve maternity models of care, and enhance outcomes for women, babies and families across Victoria.
Elisa holds dual master’s degrees in public health and health care leadership and management and is an Adjunct Professor with Monash University, contributing to the development of the future nursing and midwifery workforce. Her expertise spans health policy, health service performance, system planning, clinical quality and safety and improvement with a focus on driving sustainable improvement across maternity services and the maternity system more broadly.
Elisa has played a key role in a range of statewide initiatives, including leading the Victorian Maternity Taskforce, the development of the Respectful Maternity Care Framework, and the My Maternity Journey online resource. She has also contributed to a number of statewide and Commonwealth advisory committees focused on workforce and maternity strategy, supporting the development and implementation of significant policy and reform initiatives.
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