Epworth Hospital Waurn Ponds announced the closure of its maternity unit today following a two-month consultation period.
Ongoing workforce challenges means the unit will officially close on March 31.
There are approximately 100 women booked to have their baby at Epworth Geelong who are due to give birth after 31 March, a spokesperson said.
Cameron Fuller, Group Chief Executive (interim), said feedback provided during the consultation period was carefully considered.
“We thank everyone who provided feedback and suggestions during the consultation period including patients, staff, obstetricians, paediatricians, GPs and the local community,” he said.
“We have considered many proposals and assessed a number of possible scenarios.
“Throughout 2022, Epworth initiated ongoing local and overseas recruitment campaigns to address maternity workforce shortages, however Epworth Geelong Maternity currently has a shortage of midwives available to cover the 24/7 roster.
“This includes a shortage of midwives available for night shift and to work in the birth suite. This is a current issue and predicted to continue in the medium and longer term.
“At this time, we have 14 vacant full time equivalent roles across our maternity service. That is a 44% vacancy rate.
“We would like to acknowledge and thank our existing Epworth Geelong midwifery staff who have reached out during this time to express interest in increasing their hours or moving to our permanent roster. Even with these potential additions, we would still have a 35% vacancy.”
MORE TO COME
