North West Hospital and Health Service (North West HHS) is pleased to reassure the community that the future of obstetric services in the region is secure, thanks to proactive and decisive recruitment activities. 

Health Service Chief Executive Sean Birgan said recent efforts to address emergent staffing challenges have successfully ensured continuous, high-quality care for expectant mothers and their families in the North West. 

“We recently identified the need for additional skilled obstetricians to mitigate potential service impacts resulting from unforeseen staff leave,” Mr Birgan said. 

“Recognising the critical importance of maintaining consistent and safe maternity services, the service immediately sought support through the Maternity and Neonatal network and engaged highly skilled clinicians from across the system. 

“I am happy to confirm that all potential critical time periods previously identified in the request to the Maternity and Neonatal network have been adequately covered.” 

The swift and strategic response has ensured there is no additional risk of the service entering bypass due to the emergent staff leave. This was made possible through the engagement of highly skilled locums and Queensland Health employees, who have stepped in to maintain service continuity. 

To further fortify obstetric services in the long term, North West HHS has expanded its core staffing and expedited the recruitment process for a 0.5 FTE Senior Medical Officer and a provisional Rural Generalist. 

Mr Birgan said the proactive measures are a testament to the commitment of Queensland Health and North West HHS to safeguard the health and well-being of North West residents despite the global healthcare workforce shortages. 

“Queensland Health, together with North West HHS, understands the importance of providing consistent, high-quality public maternity services across our communities. We are committed to proactively addressing challenges and ensuring that every person in the North West receives the care they require,” Mr Birgan said. 

“The situation arose following an acute critical obstetric senior medical officer shortage due to unplanned leave of two obstetricians, leading to a temporary reduction in available staff. However, through urgent and effective recruitment efforts, the service has maintained its ability to provide uninterrupted care.” 

North West HHS remains dedicated to delivering safe, accessible, and high-quality maternity services, ensuring that the community's needs are met at all times.