Auckland maternity overhaul

The country’s largest hospital is set to make major changes to maternity services, after admitting problems in the care of women who died during or soon after pregnancy.

Auckland DHB maternity services came under scrutiny after the deaths of four mothers last year.

The Weekend Herald has now obtained an internal document that reveals “lack of access or coordination of care was a notable finding in three of the cases”.

None of the women was Pa¯keha¯, and the report links their deaths to wider concerns about some mothers and babies, particularly Ma¯ori and Pacific, along with some Asian groups, not getting the care they need amid increasing capacity pressure.

Such disparities have plagued the entire health system for decades, and the DHB has now set an ambitious, organisation-wide target to achieve equity in three years.

Women’s health has been chosen as first under the microscope, alongside mental health, child health and cancer and blood services.

The overhaul was planned before the four maternal deaths in 2020, but findings from those cases will now inform the review, which is in early stages, with staff, patients, iwi and medical groups and unions asked for input.

The Weekend Herald interviewed Auckland District Health Board chairman Pat Snedden, director of midwifery Deborah Pittam, and Nicole Pihema, associate director of midwifery for Ma¯ori health and equity, after receiving the report under the Official Information Act.

“Nobody likes to have the kind of experience we had recently with multiple mortality in women’s health,” said Snedden.

“The question we want to answer at the governance level is, are we doing the best thing for those women?’’

Pittam conceded maternity could be a “busy and difficult” environment because of the increasing pressure on capacity, but said that wasn’t unique to Auckland DHB.