One location for complex obstetric care welcomed

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

Newborn babies and mothers who require complex care are now being transported to Wellington instead of Hamilton or Auckland.

A new service agreement has been signed with Te Whatu Ora Capital, Coast and Hutt Valley to provide complex obstetrics and neonatal care. The decision was made in consultation with whānau, iwi and stakeholders.

Te Whatu Ora Tairāwhiti interim group director of operations Anne Aitcheson said having one location for all complex maternal-foetal services was excellent news for Tairāwhiti.

“The previous arrangement where māmā could potentially go to one location and pēpi another was obviously not the best for our people,” she said.

Under the previous agreement, complex obstetric care was provided by Te Toka Tumai Auckland and neonatal care by Te Whatu Ora Waikato.

“We can now guarantee māmā and pēpi will go to the same place to receive specialist care at a tertiary centre,” Ms Aitcheson said.

“Wellington is also much easier to get to from Gisborne with one flight, so the partnership makes sense and we are excited about the benefits for our people.

“We are very grateful to the Capital Coast and Hutt Valley team for taking on this agreement. We are also grateful to the Waikato team who have indicated their willingness to continue to provide neonatal support should that be needed.

“I would like also to take this opportunity to acknowledge our local midwives at this challenging time. We continue to be severely short-staffed at the moment and the team continue to provide an excellent service.”

For any queries regarding planned procedures or this agreement, the community can email communications@tdh.org.nz