Reborn bush birthing wins award for Beaudesert Hospital
Richard Dinnen - Queensland Editor |
For what seemed the longest time, babies were not born at Beaudesert Hospital. Birthing services ceased there in 2002.
Beaudesert was one of about 40 regional Queensland health facilities that stopped providing birthing and maternity services between 1995 and 2014, due to a shortage of qualified doctors and the closure of operating theatres.
In Beaudesert, and other parts of regional Queensland, local women were forced to travel to give birth, sometimes far from family, friends, and support networks.
This became a major issue in Queensland politics, with communities pressuring governments to attract medical staff to the regions and restore maternity services.
In 2014, a community campaign saw Beaudesert Hospital become one of the first to restore services, with then Health Minister Lawrence Springborg saying it would be a model for a broader resumption of local maternity services across the state.
Just eight years later, Beaudesert Hospital Maternity unit has won a prestigious national nursing and midwifery award.
It won the “outstanding organisation” category in the annual HESTA Australian Nursing & Midwifery Awards.
Beaudesert Hospital serves a population of about 6500 in the Scenic Rim region of south-east Queensland.
The unit was recognised for high quality maternity services to the local community that improved the well-being of women and babies in rural Queensland and expanded culturally appropriate midwifery and healthcare to Indigenous mothers.
Beaudesert Nursing & Midwifery Director Jacquie Smith said the Maternity team was delighted to be recognised for their hard work.
“It’s not just a job for them. It’s a passion, an investment in our community.
“It’s a small country hospital, we’re immersed in the community, the community takes ownership of the hospital. It belongs to them.”
Ms Smith said about 1500 babies have been born in the Beaudesert maternity unit since then, with about 375 births each year.
“We’ve grown over time, and we’ve seen generational birth, where women who were born at our hospital come back as mothers and give birth to their children here.
“That’s always a special moment for us, and for the midwives. It’s always a highlight.
Ms Smith paid tribute to all the midwives, nurses, doctors, porters, and staff who helped the Maternity unit win the award.
