The Gold Coast GP Maternity Alignment Program (GCGPMAP) is run in partnership with Gold Coast Primary Health Network and delivers an evidence based, quality driven education program aimed at enhancing the skills and knowledge of local GPs wishing to provide antenatal care to women within the primary care setting.

The GCGPMAP aims to create an antenatal shared care framework between Gold Coast Health and GPs with:

1. Accessible, contemporary, regularly updated guidelines
   
2. Clear and known responsibilities between maternity care providers.
   
3. Shared goals and measurable outcomes for the benefit of improved maternity care for women birthing at Gold Coast University Hospital (GCUH).
   
4. Women having their obstetric care closer to home in a community setting.
   
5. Support for GPs to work to their scope in providing care in a standardised manner with access to necessary tertiary expertise when required.
   
6. Opportunities for relationship building between GPs, Obstetricians and Midwifes through sharing of resources and collaborating on the care of women.

The program aims to increase choice for women to have their pregnancy managed by a trusted local GP and increase the capacity of GPs through an agreed and supportive shared care framework with obstetric and midwifery teams. It has been developed with the generous support of Mater Health, Metro North Health and Metro South Health services.

Gold Coast Health is committed to supporting all GPs who wish to share care in maintaining their skills and familiarity with new protocols and approaches. The alignment program is designed to be as flexible as possible for busy GPs and to minimise time lost and risks inherent in delayed communication between GPs and the hospital, bookings and missing information.

Maternity GP shared care

For women who wish to attend a GCHHS birthing facility during pregnancy and in childbirth have an option for GP shared care. (Refer to page 4 for definition of shared care).

To support effective communication and clear understanding of the respective roles and responsibilities of health care professionals involved in maternity shared care, Queensland Clinical Guidelines has published an operational framework titled: Maternity shared care.

This Queensland Health document can be accessed and downloaded here .

Gold Coast Health’s maternity services model respects mothers’ values, choices and.expressed needs.