Lived experience at the centre of trauma-informed maternity care at SMHS

To strengthen respectful, trauma informed maternity care across South Metropolitan Health Service (SMHS), a new Birth Trauma Advisory Committee has been formed.

The committee will follow on from the Fiona Stanley Fremantle Hospitals Group ‘Making the Changes’ working group. It aims to support models of care so birthing people and their families feel psychologically safe before, during and after birth.

The committee brings together clinical knowledge from multiple disciplines, system leadership and consumer voices to offer area-wide strategic advice. This will guide improvements in prevention, recognition, and responses to birth trauma.

Consumer representative Amy brings lived experience of birth trauma to the committee. 

“I’m involved in this project because I believe women’s voices are central to creating meaningful change," Amy said.

SMHS Strategic Program Manager Christine Atkinson said the committee was about listening to consumers and making sure their experiences shape maternity care.

“Birth trauma review is not just about better clinical results – it’s about whether people feel safe, heard and supported during a big moment in their lives.

“The focus of this work is listening to consumers, learning from their experiences, and making sure psychological safety and compassion are at the centre of care for birthing people,” Christine said.

This committee is key achievement in SMHS area-wide work to increase the safety, quality and experience of maternity care. This work supports the strategic priorities of patient-centred care, clinical excellence, and integrated, multidisciplinary service delivery.

If you or someone you know has lived experience and wants to help shape SMHS maternity services, read how to express your interest (external PDF 168KB).