Pregnant Canberra women may soon be unable to choose which hospital they give birth in, as ACT Health considers plans to assign patients to hospitals depending on where they live.
Since opening in August 2012, the Centenary Hospital for Women and Children at Woden in Canberra’s south has been operating close to capacity.
The centre is the city’s only tertiary hospital with state-of-the-art facilities.
The new facilities proved popular with Canberra women and many have chosen to give birth at the Woden campus, despite being closer to the public Calvary Hospital at Belconnen in Canberra’s north.
The ABC understands ACT Health is now looking at whether to refer expectant mothers a hospital linked to their postcode.
In a statement, ACT Health said it was reviewing its referral guidelines for patients accessing maternity services, but it was early days.
If the changes went ahead pregnant women would be unable to choose their preferred hospital and those living in the city’s north would have to give birth at Calvary Hospital in Bruce and southsiders at Woden.
ACT Health said it would conduct appropriate consultation on the proposal if and when it was required.
“We are committed to continuous improvement, to ensure quality of care,” the statement said.
“This includes the regular review of the way in which services are provided.”