Page 1970 - Week 07 - Tuesday, 5 August 2014

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maternal health in 2009-12. That report lists the percentage of women who had at least one antenatal visit in the first trimester. Coming in at 57 out of 61 Medicare Locals across Australia, the ACT has one of the worst attendance rates in the country, but it also notes that this may be due to a lesser collection of data. Minister, given the importance of antenatal visits for the long-term health of mothers and babies, why is this antenatal rate worse or why are we not collecting the same data as the rest of the country about these attendance rates?

MS GALLAGHER: There is a whole range of information in that report that, when you look at the surface, is quite concerning—reports of the smoking rate, for example, and some of the low birth weight babies. I think one of the issues for us in that report is that it does not identify areas of disadvantage within the ACT. We are given one classification of a rating from which we are then compared to other jurisdictions with that metro 1 classification—although I cannot remember what the actual classification is. For a small jurisdiction like the ACT, it does not allow for those smaller pockets where we know there is disadvantage to be identified as part of the data. So you get treated as one set.

In relation to the antenatal visits, I will come back to you on that. My experience is that women have excellent access to antenatal care in the ACT. We collect that data. That issue was not raised specifically with me in terms of some of the briefings I had on this report, so I will come back to you on it. But our experience is that certainly in the public and private systems the arrangements in place are really good for women. We have the CatCH program—that is, the continuity of care program—we have the midwifery-led program, we have shared care arrangements with GPs, and we deal with all those different types of antenatal care arrangements for women. I would be very surprised if there was any issue in terms of access to antenatal care and antenatal visits as part of a woman’s pregnancy in the ACT. But I will certainly drill down a bit further and come back to you.

MADAM SPEAKER: Supplementary question, Mrs Jones.

MRS JONES: Given the range of options available, what are the health impacts if we do have a low rate of antenatal visits? Also, what is being done to investigate the concerning take-up rate?

MS GALLAGHER: I go back to my previous answer, which is that I am very happy to come back and take some further advice on that. I must say that I got more concerned by a range of other indicators in that report—

Mrs Jones: We will get to them.

MS GALLAGHER: Yes, I am sure. Some of the answer back was around being treated in a particular classification that did not allow for the difference of classification to deal with some of the disadvantage that we see in the ACT. I will come back to you and I will get some further advice from the relevant nursing area.

MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Mr Hanson.


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