Cabrini has just completed its part in the Safer Baby Collaborative, and the results are astounding.

The year-long project was a joint collaboration between Safer Care Victoria, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, the Stillbirth Centre for Research Excellence and 23 rural and regional healthcare facilities across the state.

The aim was to reduce stillbirth during the third trimester by 30 per cent in participating health services and ultimately, improve outcomes for mothers and their babies.

Collectively, the collaboration was a success with a 27 per cent reduction in stillbirth rates for women over 28 week’s gestation in Victoria, and is the first time a reduction has been seen for 21 years.

Cabrini Birth Suite Clinical Manager Robyn Graf said Cabrini was one of only two private hospitals involved and had managed a 100 per cent reduction of stillbirths over 28 weeks since the commencement of the collaborative.

Ms Graf said the team focussed on five key points including increasing public awareness of the importance of fetal movements, diagnosis and management of fetal growth restriction, improving rates of smoking cessation in pregnancy, raising awareness of safe maternal sleep positions and promoting appropriate timing of birth and mitigating unintended consequences or harm.

She said Cabrini’s team included a consumer, doctors, midwives and a safety officer, who all provided valuable input.

“Our antenatal unit receptionist set up emails and texts that were sent to all women booked at Cabrini, she also collated that information for the collaborative,” Ms Graf said.

“There have been two babies where outcomes may have been different had it not been through the diligence of staff and changes introduced into birth suite during the collaborative.

“We will continue working towards improvements with evidence-based care to promote the safety of our mothers and babies.”

“As a maternity unit, we are proud of our participation in this collaborative,” she said.

“The dedication and willingness of staff to learn and update their practices has been overwhelming. We are passionate about the work we have done and committed to ensuring we maintain this positive impact on our families into the future.”

For more information on Cabrini Maternity, go to www.cabrini.com.au/maternity