Maternity care in Australia and the national maternity Strategy: how do women's experiences compare?

The national maternity strategy Woman-centred care: Strategic directions for Australian maternity services was introduced in late 2019 and aims to provide national, overarching guidance to support the provision of high-quality maternity care in Australia. It is structured around the four values of safety, respect, choice, and access; underpinned by twelve principles, and guided by 13 strategic directions. ‬The aim of this research was to determine if, from a national perspective, the Australian maternity Strategy meets its intended goal to provide woman-centred care safely and respectfully via access to appropriate services of choice. ‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ This study was two-phased and used an explanatory mixed methods design to collect data via a national web-based survey, followed up by semi-structured interviews. Results: Preliminary results indicate that women's maternity care needs are being met for some aspects of the four values. However, this is more likely to occur in metropolitan areas among women who do not identify as Aboriginal or are from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. The results also demonstrate that across all groups of women, the Strategy’s values and principles are less likely to be upheld in the postnatal period. Since its 2019 introduction, the national maternity Strategy has not consistently met its stated aims, particularly among women from the strategy’s stated priority populations.