What the standard says
A woman’s risk factors for stillbirth are identified early, monitored and managed with evidence-based care throughout her pregnancy. She is offered the most appropriate available model of maternity care for her clinical, personal and cultural needs.
What this means for you
Establish protocols and pathways to facilitate systematic, ongoing assessment of stillbirth risks during pregnancy, and support management of modifiable risks such as maternal smoking, overweight and obesity, and risk of fetal growth restriction (for example, through the Fetal Growth Restriction (FGR) Care Pathway). These protocols and pathways should also address access to appropriate resources and services, specialist referrals and ongoing monitoring.
Ensure that information about stillbirth risks shared with the woman is consistent with current guidelines and meets her health literacy, language and cultural needs.
Ensure that policies, procedures and systems are in place to facilitate access to maternity care models that allow continuity of care (including GP shared antenatal care and midwifery continuity models) for women at risk of stillbirth, in line with their preferences for care. For women assessed to be at increased risk of stillbirth, prioritise access to models that allow continuity of care suitable to the woman’s individual needs, and taking into account the level of ongoing support she may require for preventive care.
Ensure that clinicians are appropriately trained and skilled to assess and manage stillbirth risk factors during pregnancy, and to communicate with women about identified risks and how to manage them. Offer access to relevant training, such as the Safer Baby Bundle eLearning module.
Ensure that GPs providing antenatal care as part of shared care arrangements meet relevant training and credentialing requirements.
Healthcare services in rural and remote locations should consider the use of appropriate communication technology, such as telehealth services, to provide women with access to appropriate care, where available and in line with the woman’s needs.
Ensure that systems are in place to record the outcomes of assessments and discussions, and to enable appropriate clinical communication between all clinicians involved in the woman’s care – especially as part of shared care arrangements and at transitions of care – in line with the recommendations in the Communicating for Safety Standard of the NSQHS Standards.
Cultural safety and equity
Consider the increased (population-level) risk of stillbirth among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, women from some migrant and refugee backgrounds, and women from rural and remote areas, and the relevance of this for the population accessing the healthcare service.
Ensure that systems are in place to support culturally safe maternity care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women. This may include providing access or referral to maternity care models developed for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, including models of care offered through ACCHOs or AMSs, or models that allow continuity of care support from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workers. These include midwifery continuity of carer models, which have been shown to contribute to positive pregnancy outcomes for women at higher risk of stillbirth, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women.
Support clinicians to provide culturally safe care to women from migrant and refugee backgrounds, including by facilitating access to cross-cultural health workers, where appropriate and in line with the woman’s preferences.
Provide regular education and training for clinicians in cultural safety.
Support clinicians to address potential barriers to accessing care for women in rural and remote areas – for example, by using telehealth services, where available and appropriate.