For many of the thousands of families who have walked through the doors of the Queen Elizabeth II Family Centre over the last 56 years, the women of the Canberra Mothercraft Society have been a godsend.
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The society has been at the helm of the hospital, known more fondly as QEII, since it opened. But on June 30, they'll hand the reins to another organisation as the public health sector becomes more complex to navigate.
Farleigh Jay attended the centre with her daughter Mereani in late 2017, a couple of weeks after she was born. The visit was a chance to regenerate after they both contracted an antibiotic-resistant staph infection.
"Because we actually weren't allowed skin-to-skin contact, we had both been in isolation in hospital for seven days. QEII gave me time afterwards to bond with my daughter," Ms Jay said.
"In a time where you are completely and utterly overwhelmed and unsure about everything, I found these women were just so reassuring and there all hours of the night. They had really sound advice and I felt supported."
The society will bow out of the centre, which helps families through the postnatal and early childhood years, after a decision by the government to offer up health services to open tenders in 2016.
Since the 1960s, the society had been operating under a single select tender process.
The decision would have taken effect in 2019, but the society was able to vary a 2013 agreement to expire this June. The government had been in negotiations with the society to establish a new deal that would keep them as the sole operator of the centre until 2022, a spokesperson said.
But the society insists that offer was retracted and made subject to the "absolute discretion" of the territory government last year. The centre would also still likely go to open tender in 2022.
"Good probity is that you go and have a good look at and do a good due diligence process on what that might mean for us," QEII executive director Mary Kirk, said.
"And of course, to pull together an open tender and go through that sort of process, you're talking about a lot of money. So in that sort of operating environment, is that right for us or is that not right for us?"
Along with plummeting revenue from privately-insured clients - it made up 40 per cent of the centre's budget in 2011, and 26 per cent in 2018 - and increasingly demanding accreditation processes, the society felt a larger organisation was needed to keep the centre going.
ACT government funding of the centre had increased by about $3.18 million in 2011 to $3.67 million in 2018-19. But the increase did not account for the drop in private health clients, the centre said.
Funding was intended to support 1400 families a year but the centre has serviced more than 2000 since 2017. The government thought the extra clients were private but some were not, Ms Kirk said.
"[The sector] is exponentially increasing in complexity," she said. "A wise organisation knows what it looks like when they should be in business, and when it's not right for them anymore."
The ACT government was focussed on ensuring a "seamless transition" from one operator to another, Health Minister Meegan Fitzharris said, but it was unclear who the new provider would be.
A government spokesperson refused to comment on how much funding a new provider would receive but said it had offered the society a $17 million package to take them up to 2022. It would look at expanding the service.
A new provider would likely have to sign an initial short-term contract of 24 months to take over the centre.
Cassandra Morgan
It has never been more important for Canberrans to be able to access reliable and accurate information about health. As The Canberra Times’ health reporter, I am committed to ensuring our readers have access to this. I, like many in the territory, have family members who work in the sector. Although providing comprehensive coverage on the coronavirus pandemic is obviously my number one priority, I aim to frequently shed light on the fantastic work our frontline professionals do, as well as the challenges they face. Email me tips and story ideas at: c.morgan@canberratimes.com.au.
It has never been more important for Canberrans to be able to access reliable and accurate information about health. As The Canberra Times’ health reporter, I am committed to ensuring our readers have access to this. I, like many in the territory, have family members who work in the sector. Although providing comprehensive coverage on the coronavirus pandemic is obviously my number one priority, I aim to frequently shed light on the fantastic work our frontline professionals do, as well as the challenges they face. Email me tips and story ideas at: c.morgan@canberratimes.com.au.
