Pregnancy Care Clinics (Antenatal)

Our Maternity team is here to support you throughout your pregnancy, labour, birth, and the early days of parenthood.

We offer comprehensive maternity care services across two campuses:

Northern Hospital Epping
Craigieburn Community Hospital

Our multidisciplinary team—comprising obstetricians, neonatologists, midwives, nurses, physicians and allied health professionals—brings a wealth of knowledge, kindness and experience to your care. We are committed to ensuring that working together, you and your baby will receive the highest quality of care every step of the way.

What to expect from the service?

Team Maternity Care

With Team Maternity, your care will be provided by one of our multidisciplinary teams (Flame, Gum, Willow or Ash). These teams of midwives, obstetricians, social workers and medical physicians work together to provide all of your care during pregnancy. Your care will be organised to ensure you see the right type of clinician for your visits. Typically, most of the care is provided by midwives, with some pregnancy checks by a doctor if your pregnancy has higher risks.

Shared Maternity Care

If you choose Shared Maternity Care, you can decide which of our Shared Maternity Care affiliates – who are accredited GPs, midwives or obstetricians – you would like to see for pregnancy care. You might choose somebody close to home, close to work, or a clinician you already know. Most of your appointments will be in the community but your baby will born in hospital. You can still access other specialists and allied health professionals if needed.

Shared Maternity Care means you see both your GP and the hospital during your pregnancy.

You will see your GP for most of your pregnancy visits.
You will come to Northern Health for some important hospital visits.
Your GP must be approved by Northern Health to do Shared Care. If your GP is not approved, we can help you find one close to your home.

Important: Your GP cannot look after you during labour, birth, or the first hours after your baby is born. The hospital doctors and midwives will care for you and your baby at this time.

Shared Care is a good choice for women who have a healthy, low‑risk pregnancy.

With Shared Care, you can:

Have most of your pregnancy visits close to home or work
See a GP you know and trust
Keep seeing the same GP after your baby is born
Have fewer hospital visits and less travel

Please note: Some Shared Care providers may charge out-of-pocket fees. Please confirm fee schedules with your chosen GP affiliate.

A midwife will check if Shared Care is safe for you at your first hospital appointment.
You can have Shared Care if you have a low‑risk pregnancy.
You cannot have Shared Care if you have certain medical or pregnancy problems. Your midwife will explain this to you.
Sometimes, women with certain conditions may still be able to have Modified Shared Care, please talk to your midwife if you want to know more.
If you develop any problems later in pregnancy, you may no longer be able to stay in Shared Care. If this happens, we will change your care to keep you and your baby safe.

When you are accepted into Shared Care:

The hospital will send a letter to your GP
Your GP will continue most of your pregnancy care
The hospital will book your hospital appointments for you

You must book your own GP appointments. The hospital does not book GP visits.

If you have been entered into our Standard Shared Care Pathway, you will be seen on Mondays at Craigieburn Community Hospital.

If you have been entered into our Modified Shared Care Pathway, you will be seen on Tuesdays at The Northern Hospital, Epping.

If you have concerns about your Shared Care provider, your level of care, or any general enquiries within the Shared Care Program, please contact:

Rhiann Connor
GP Liaison Midwife
Northern Health

0481 222 508

maternitysharedcare@nh.org.au

Please note: This number is not for patient results enquiries or to change appointments.

Koori Maternity Services

The Koori Maternity Service (KMS) at Northern Health provides culturally appropriate care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and their families through pregnancy until six weeks after birth. Aboriginal health workers and midwives aim to provide continuity of care and holistic care by connecting families with local Aboriginal community services. The KMS offers flexible, person-centred care, strengthened by Aboriginal culture and practice and built upon respectful trusting relationships between women, their families and Koori Maternity Service staff.

Twins Clinic

Twins clinic provides continuity of care by a small team of Obstetricians and a midwife to all women pregnant with twins, from your booking-in visit and throughout your antenatal pregnancy visits.

Specialty clinics
Maternal Fetal Medicine

Maternal-Fetal Medicine (MFM) offers specialized care for women with high-risk, complex pregnancies.
Their services include:

Managing pregnancies associated with complex maternal medical conditions, fetal abnormalities, complex twin pregnancies and pregnancies requiring increased Specialist fetal surveillance.
Offering pre-pregnancy and genetic counselling services
Providing bereavement support

The MFM team provides continuity of care by a small multidisciplinary team including MFM Sub-Specialists, Midwife and Genetics Counsellors. Our team can also provide a single consultation throughout the pregnancy journey to support ongoing continuity within Team Maternity Care.

OPAL Clinic

The Obesity, Pregnancy and Lifestyle (OPAL) clinic at Northern Hospital is a specialised clinic that provides antenatal care to pregnant women with an elevated body mass index (BMI>45) and/or women who have had previous bariatric surgery such as gastric band, gastric sleeve and gastric bypass surgeries. This multidisciplinary team of midwives, obstetricians and dieticians provide continuity via their team and closely monitor and care for women and their babies throughout the duration of their pregnancy.

Coming early 2026 Preterm Birth Prevention Clinic:
The clinic is staffed by an obstetrician and is located within the Craigieburn Health Service. You may be referred to this clinic if you have had previous babies born preterm, or have factors that increase the chance of your baby being born early. Most people who use our service will meet with an obstetrician to develop a management plan to stop your baby from being born early and we will aim to refer you back to your usual Maternity team once your plan is in place and your pregnancy is progressing well. The rest of your antenatal care and the birth of your baby can happen at Northern Hospital Epping.

Please aim to send all pregnancy care referrals by 10 weeks gestation to Head of Unit- Dr Arzoo Khalid

Pregnancy Care Clinics referral

Health Pathways (North Western PHN) for GP’s

Our aim is to complete routine booking visits by 11-13 weeks gestation

Share Maternity Care

GP Referral Fax Form

GP Antenatal Education Overview

Schedule of Care Pathways

Northern Health Pregnancy Record

Any questions, concerns, results sharing, or general enquiries can be directed to:

Rhiann Connor
GP Liaison Midwife
Northern Health

0481 222 508

maternitysharedcare@nh.org.au