Sustainability of rural Victorian maternity services: ‘We can work together’

Background Rural maternity service closures and service level reductions are continually increasing across Victoria. There is limited understanding of how rural board members and executives make decisions about their maternity service’s operations and sustainability. Aim To examine perspectives of rural Victorian board members and executives on the sustainability of rural maternity services. Methods This was a qualitative study. Interviews were conducted via Zoom™ with 16 rural Victorian hospital board members and executives. Data were thematically analysed. Findings Severe shortages in the rural maternity workforce, primarily midwives, have contributed to service sustainability decisions. Challenges in offering midwifery workforce incentives cause difficulty in overcoming workforce shortages. A rural maternity workforce strategy harnessing connection with regional services was called for. Innovative models of maternity care were often actioned at the point of service suspension or closure. Participants requested a government policy position and funding for innovative, safe, and sustainable models of care in rural settings. Discussion There is an opportunity for workforce planning to occur between regional and rural services to ensure the development of sustainable maternity models such as midwifery group practice and incentivise the workforce to address current deficits and sustain service provision. Conclusion Models of care developed with rural communities, in collaboration with regional services, have the potential to strengthen the delivery of safe, sustainable maternity services. Workforce modelling and centralised government policies aimed at arresting workforce deficits are suggested to provide rural health service leaders with strategic and operational directions to support the delivery of safe, sustainable maternity services.