The Best Hospital To Give Birth In Sydney

By: Phoebe Ackland, ellaslist

The Bureau of Health Information surveyed almost 5000 mothers who gave birth in 2015, asking them about the quality of care they received during pregnancy, during labour, after the birth and during home follow-up visits, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.

The Top 2 In NSW

But which of NSW’s 61 public hospitals ranked the highest with mums? Ryde and Wyong hospitals appear to have made new mums happiest, with Ryde Hospital, in particular, scoring especially well in terms of cleanliness, and the helpfulness and skill of their midwives, according to The Daily Telegraph. Hospitals in the Blue Mountains and Queanbeyan were also up there with the top contenders.

 

Less Than Impressive

But who ranked the lowest? According to The Sydney Morning Herald, Bankstown, Liverpool and Tamworth hospitals all ranked among the lowest, with Fairfield hospital taking the cake. Mums from south-western Sydney appeared to have to lowest rate of satisfaction with their health care experience, whereas mothers from North and South Sydney seemed to be the most pleased.

 

It Seems The Midwives Make All The Difference

So, according to the experts, what makes Ryde and Wyong hospitals such a pleasant birthing experience for mums? Dr Nigel Harvey, the deputy secretary of NSW Health told the Sydney Morning Herald: “One of the factors impacting on the performance of hospitals like Ryde and Wyong is that these maternity units provide midwife-led care for women with uncomplicated pregnancies. Women do not stay as inpatients at Wyong and Ryde Hospitals and return home soon after birth, when it is safe and appropriate to do so, with ongoing and continuous support at home from the same midwife who supported birth at the hospital.”

 

 

Ryde Hospital’s midwife specialist Jane Grant with new mums and bubs. Source: Adam Ward/The Daily Telegraph

According to new mum Vanessa Huang who gave birth to her son at Ryde Hospital, her “wonderful experience” came from the midwives, and she encourages other maternity patients to look beyond the not-so-impressive rooms. She told the Sydney Morning Herald: “The rooms at Ryde are pretty dingy but half the time you’re screaming with your eyes shut so you’re not looking at it, and the other half of the time you’re listening to what the midwife is telling you. So put your money where the midwife is, not where the decor is.”

What was your experience like in the maternity ward? We want to know! Comment below.