Department of Health

Capability frameworks for maternity and newborn services

Requirements for safe, high-quality maternity and newborn care in Victorian hospitals.

Key messages

  • Victoria’s network of services means that, for most women and families, maternity and newborn care is provided close to home.
  • A tiered system with agreed levels of care for public maternity and newborn services means that women and families can have confidence in the consistency and quality of care they receive.
  • Capability frameworks support and guide how planned maternity and newborn care is provided.
  • The Regional Maternal and Perinatal Morbidity and Mortality Committees review selected maternal and perinatal mortality and morbidity cases at a regional level

Capability frameworks for maternity and newborn services

The capability frameworks for Victorian maternity and newborn services:

  • Describe the requirements for providing safe and high-quality maternity and newborn care for Victorian public and private hospitals, including the:
    • required workforce
    • infrastructure
    • equipment and clinical support services.
  • Assist health services to manage different complexities of care, making informed decisions about the:
    • resources
    • partnerships
    • protocols.
  • Enable a transparent approach to planning and service development at a local level, taking into account community need.
  • Support health service regions and the department to plan and manage the maternity and newborn service system.

Maternity and newborn capability levels

Services operate in a networked system across 6 levels of care:

  • Levels 1-3: Local care for healthy women and babies at low risk
  • Level 4: Local care for women and babes with some risk requiring additional care
  • Level 5-6: Local care for all women and babies. Regional/statewide care for women and babies at high risk

Download the capability levels for 2022-23 to 2023-24 or view tables on this page.

Please note: These capability levels are currently continuing to be in place during the process of determination of 2024-25 to 2025-26 levels is completed. This web page will be updated once finalised

Maternity services - level 6

Health serviceMaternity capability levelNewborn capability level
Mercy Hospital for Women66a
Monash Medical Centre Clayton66b
The Royal Women's Hospital - Parkville 66a
Western Health - Sunshine Hospital66a
The Royal Children's Hospitalnot applicable6b

Maternity services - level 5

Health serviceMaternity capability levelNewborn capability level
Albury Wodonga Health54
Barwon Health - University Hospital Geelong 55
Bendigo Health54
Eastern Health - Box Hill Hospital54
Grampians Health - Ballarat Base Hospital54
Goulburn Valley Health54
Latrobe Regional Hospital54
Northern Health - The Northern Hospital55
Peninsula Health - Frankston Hospital54

Maternity services - level 4

Health serviceMaternity capability levelNewborn capability level
Central Gippsland Health Service43
Eastern Health - Angliss Hospital43
Mildura Base Hospital43
Monash Health - Casey Hospital44
Monash Hospital - Dandenong Hospital43
Northeast Health Wangaratta43
South West Healthcare Warrnambool43
Monash Health Women's - Sandringham43
Werribee Mercy Hospital44
West Gippsland Healthcare Group - Warragul43
Grampians Health - Horsham43

Maternity services - level 3

Health serviceMaternity capability levelNewborn capability level
Bairnsdale Regional Health Service32
Bass Coast Health - Wonthaggi32
Benalla Health32
Colac Area Health32
East Grampians Health Service32
Echuca Regional Health32
Gippsland Southern Health Service - Leongatha32
Kilmore and District Hospital32
Mansfield District Hospital32
South Gippsland Hospital - Foster32
South West Healthcare - Camperdown32
Swan Hill District Health32
Western District Health Service 32
Western Health - Bacchus Marsh Hospital32

Maternity services - level 2

Health serviceMaternity capability levelNewborn capability level
Dhelkaya Health, Castlemaine22
Maryborough District Health Services22
Portland District Health22

Maternity services - level 1

Health serviceMaternity capability levelNewborn capability level
Alpine Health - Bright11
Alpine Health - Mount Beauty11
Alpine Health - Myrtleford11
Casterton Memorial Hospital11
Cohuna District Hospital11
NCN Health - Numurkah11
NCN Health - Cobram11
Robinvale District Health Service11
West Wimmera Health Service - Nhill11
Yarrawonga District Health Service11

Regional Maternal and Perinatal Morbidity and Mortality Committees

Established in 2015, the Regional Maternal and Perinatal Mortality and Morbidity Committees (the Committees) review selected maternal and perinatal mortality and morbidity cases at a regional level.

In 2020, the Committees' management moved from the Royal Women’s Hospital to the six level 5 capability regional maternity services (in accordance with the Maternity and Newborn Capability Frameworks).

Regional Maternal and Perinatal Mortality and Morbidity Committee lead health services.
RegionLevel 5 Service Lead
Barwon South WestBarwon Health
GippslandLatrobe Regional Health
GrampiansBallarat Health Service
Hume Lower (Goulburn)Goulburn Valley Health
Hume Upper (Ovens Murray)Albury Wodonga Health
Loddon MalleeBendigo Health

All rural and regional maternity and newborn services must participate in committee meetings.

Regional Maternal and Perinatal Morbidity and Mortality Committee's guidelines.

These guidelines are for Committee members and seek to support the processes and procedures of the Committees.

Reviewed 09 October 2024

Health.vic

Contact us

Maternity and Newborn Program Department of Health GPO Box 4541, Melbourne, VIC 3001

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