General News
18 November, 2025
Maternity unit stress
MORE than 200 signatures have been added to a petition demanding urgent action on staffing shortages and budget constraints in the maternity unit at Atherton Hospital.
Local group Atherton Midwives and Mothers Alliance (A-MAMA) drafted the petition after seeking feedback on the service from throughout the community.
Spokesperson Ellen McGuigan said the Atherton unit, together with Mareeba and Innisfail, were provided Midwifery Group Practice (MGP) that was 100% care.
Most units in the state are application-only services.
“It’s such a great model of care, we are really lucky we have it here,” she said. “Midwives are assigned patients and can provide consistent support and advice throughout the pregnancy.”
But it was clear the Atherton unit was at “tipping point”.
“The issue now is that midwives are not available all the time, and it is rare to have the same midwife throughout a pregnancy.”
Many mothers had reported seeing an average of four to five different midwives during their pregnancy. There were also reports of midwives doing fly-in, fly-out services.
“These reports undermine what had been an excellent service,” Ms McGuigan said.
The petition, which was tabled in parliament on 30 October by Member for Hill Shane Knuth, said the community depended on the service to ensure “safe, timely, and compassionate care for mothers and babies”.
“However, recent reports of reduced staffing levels and constrained resources are placing significant strain on midwives, compromising continuity of care, and risking the long-term sustainability of the service. Families are increasingly anxious about potential closures or diversions, which would force women to travel to give birth - posing unacceptable risks,” the petition said.
Examples of feedback from women across the region included:
The loss of MGP and continuity of care.
Increased stress and reduced confidence in their care due to unfamiliar staff.
Feeling like an inconvenience to the system rather than respected and supported.
Care being diverted to Cairns without clear or adequate medical reasoning.
“Without urgent investment in staffing, funding, and the restoration of proven continuity models of care, the safety and wellbeing of mothers, babies, and midwives will continue to be at risk. This is unacceptable,” the petition continued.
“We respectfully urge Queensland Health to prioritise immediate funding and staffing support for the Atherton Maternity Unit. Ensuring a fully resourced and locally accessible maternity service is essential for equitable healthcare across regional Queensland.”
Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service has said a new clinical midwife position has recently been approved.
In a statement, chief executive Leena Singh said that over the past two years, there had been a notable increase in births in the Tablelands region, with 20 and 30 additional births recorded consecutively at Atherton Hospital.
“The health service is currently undertaking a review of midwife staffing ratios and skill mix at Atherton Hospital to explore opportunities for enhancing midwifery resources for families in the community,” she said.
“Whilst we are reviewing these opportunities, we have increased the overnight on-call shifts and approved a new clinical midwife position.
“Our Midwifery Group Practice (MGP) model, which was first introduced in Queensland at Mareeba Hospital, is a popular model for women with low-risk birthing needs, and we are committed to ensuring we continue to provide the best quality care for all expectant mothers.”
However, Ms McGuigan said the news of an additional position would not address the upsurge in midwifery demand.
“We don’t believe one new staff member is enough to meet demand,” she said.
The rise in births on the Tablelands could be attributed to the closure of the Cairns Private Hospital maternity services two years ago.
The subsequent strain on Atherton midwives was brought to the attention of A-MAMA through a Brisbane contact in strategic midwifery, who asked the group to help support the midwives in the region.
Ms McGuigan said they raised the issue with Member for Hill Shane Knuth who had written to the Health Minister and tabled the petition.
“He jumped straight on it, calling for an investigation and commitment to the service,” she said.
Another representative of A-Mama, Sarah Curcio, also met with Atherton Hospital senior staff on Friday, 7 November, where the new midwife position was discussed.
Consumer representatives were also meeting with the Queensland Health chief midwifery officer and the director of purchasing, to continue to push for more action.
