The first 2,000 days of life, commencing pre-conceptually with the development of the sperm and the ovum are critical to long-term health and wellbeing. Poor health outcomes at the start to life manifest in chronic disease with long term costs for individuals, families, and health systems. Yet women who most need comprehensive antenatal care, including those with low educational attainment, ethnic minority status, or psychosocial risk factors, are least likely to access it.

To address this, Metro South Health undertook a true co-design of a continuity of midwifery care model with consumers, now known as the Community Maternity Hubs (Hubs). This included a birthing in our community model for First Nations people and implementation of community led collective impact frameworks and redesign of the service.