Maitland Hospital launches public home birth pilot

newy.com.au – A publicly funded home birthing pilot has been introduced at Maitland Hospital, giving eligible low-risk women in Maitland and the Hunter Valley access to planned home births through the public health system.

The NSW Government said the pilot would expand choice in maternity care while operating under strict governance and safety requirements, with the service embedded within the hospital’s existing Midwifery Group Practice model.

The home birth service operates as part of Maitland Hospital’s Midwifery Group Practice (MGP), offering continuity of care from a known primary midwife in consultation with a multidisciplinary team throughout pregnancy, birth and the postnatal period.

Maitland Hospital developed the pilot in collaboration with the Women’s Health and Maternity (WHAM) Network and after community consultation, with oversight and eligibility criteria governed by Hunter New England Local Health District.

The model of care aligns with NSW Health’s guideline for public homebirth services and includes defined governance, escalation and transfer arrangements, credentialing and workforce capability requirements, and equipment, medication and safety standards, alongside clinical accountability and monitoring processes.

Minister for Regional Health Ryan Park said the program would “provide women in Maitland and across the Hunter with more choice about where and how they give birth”, adding: “We know how important it is for women to feel safe, respected and supported during pregnancy and birth.”

Minister for the Hunter Yasmin Catley said the pilot was “about giving local women and families in the Hunter more choice, while ensuring the highest standards of safety and care”, and described it as part of a push for “modern, compassionate maternity services close to home”.

Member for Maitland Jenny Aitchison said, “Women deserve to give birth in the place where they feel most safe, supported and comfortable. For many, that place is their home,” and described home birth services as “a vital part” of expanding access to midwifery continuity of care.

Hunter New England Local Health District executive director of operations Susan Heyman said the pilot would provide “another safe and supported way to give birth”, describing it as “a safe, evidence-based, and controlled approach to planned home birth for low-risk women” with “defined escalation pathways to Maitland Hospital”.

The Minns Labor Government said the pilot formed part of its broader commitment to expand midwifery continuity of care across NSW, supported by a $44.8 million maternity care investment in the 2025-26 NSW Budget, including funding for an additional 53 full-time equivalent midwives in regional NSW.