DA40 Payment rules: Labour and birth care

(b) maintain equipment (including neonatal resuscitation equipment) and provide the delivery pack and consumable supplies; and (c) ensure that a midwife, general practitioner with a Diploma in Obstetrics or Diploma in Obstetrics and Medical Gynaecology, or obstetrician remains with the woman for at least two hours following the birth.

(5) A general practitioner with a Diploma in Obstetrics or Diploma in Obstetrics and Medical Gynaecology, or obstetrician LMC who uses hospital midwifery services in order to provide the full service required during labour and birth must: (a) ensure that the respective responsibilities of the LMC and the hospital midwifery services are clearly documented in the care plan, and that a copy of the care plan is given to the hospital midwifery services and to the woman; and (b) monitor progress of labour; and (c) be available to attend as soon as required at any time during the labour; and (d) attend the birth and the delivery of the placenta.

Defined in this notice: back-up LMC, care plan, established labour, general practitioner, obstetrician, home birth, hospital midwifery services, labour and birth, LMC, maternity facility, midwife, primary maternity services

DA40 Payment rules: Labour and birth care

(1) Only one Labour and birth care fee is payable for a birth (including a multiple birth).

(2) An LMC may not claim this fee if they are claiming either a Labour and birth –exceptional circumstances or a Planned caesarean section module or the Missed birth – rural fee for the same woman for the same pregnancy.

(3) The payment to be claimed depends on whether the birth is a first birth, vaginal birth after caesarean (VBAC), or subsequent birth.

(4) The payment to be claimed depends on whether the LMC provided all labour and birth care, or utilised hospital midwifery services. If a general practitioner or obstetrician LMC uses hospital midwifery services to provide labour care, the maternity provider must claim appropriate fee: GP/Obs first birth, GP/Obs VBAC or GP/Obs subsequent birth (as per Schedule 1).

(5) A maternity provider may claim the labour and birth fee if the LMC anticipates that clinical responsibility for the labour and birth is to remain with the LMC, but circumstances change and clinical responsibility transfers after established labour to secondary maternity services.

Defined in this notice: established labour first birth, general practitioner, hospital midwifery services, labour and birth, LMC, maternity provider, midwife, obstetrician, secondary maternity, subsequent birth, transfer of clinical responsibility, vaginal birth after caesarean section