Part One: Health Partnering for Impact: Walking the Talk on Co-Design to Drive Improvement In Maternity Care for Australian First Nations families

First Nations researchers have achieved remarkable success in Australia in recent years in designing and implementing culturally safe models of maternity care that have significantly improved outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families, including a halving of rates of preterm birth. Yet culturally safe services remain relatively few in number and vulnerable to research grant funds expiring. Through the National Preterm Birth Prevention Program’s Every Week Counts Collaborative, a rich new partnership is being forged between First Nations leaders, clinicians, improvement experts and mainstream maternity services aiming to amplify and spread Aboriginal-led, strengths based approaches to maternity care across Australia. We will share our progress with this important co-design journey, some key elements of success, some challenges and lessons learned, and reflections on the power of partnership to achieve impactful change for the benefit of healthcare patients.

Kiarna Brown Menzies School of Health Research and NT Lead for the National Preterm Birth Prevention Programme; Australia
Barb Vernon Women’s Healthcare Australasia; Australia

Part Two: Connect, Listen, Respect: Co-Designing a Birthing with Country model of care in the ACT

This session will explore the ACT Government's commitment to improving maternity care for First Nations people through the co-design of a Birthing with Country model of care. Led by a dedicated Cultural Advisory Group of senior women, this project embodies the principles of connecting, listening, and respecting Community. By engaging with the community through yarning, the project respects community narratives and insights, ensuring their voices are heard, valued and centred. The session will highlight the importance of culturally safe care, the collaborative co-design process with Community, and the development of a model of care aligned with the RISE Framework. Attendees will gain valuable insights into the co-design process and the impact of culturally informed care on patient outcomes. This project is a practical example of shared decision making and government changing the way we do business to close the gap, as per Priority Reforms 1 and 3.

Jessie Price ACT Health and Community Services Directorate; Australia
Karel Williams University of Canberra; Australia

Part Three: Improving quality and safety for Australian women and babies – how developing robust public health policy can improve health outcomes, public safety, and Close the Gap

Discuss the development of a solution to the gap in professional indemnity insurance for privately practising midwives, and how it supports midwives to work to optimal scope of practice - which is synergised with their current regulatory environment.

Alison McMillan Department of Health, Disability and Ageing; Australia