ANSC June 2025 Update: Royal Hospital for Women

Contact Details for RHW

Email address for GP enquiries at RHW: SESLHD-RHWGPSCEnquiries@health.nsw.gov.au

GP Liaison Midwives:  Chantelle du Boisee Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday AND 

Hwee Ling Lim Thursday and Friday. Contact the midwives for non-urgent clinical advice on 0417 995 153 between 8:00am-4:30pm, if no answer, please leave a voicemail or text message.

If you need to speak directly to the Obstetric doctors, please call ph.9382 6111 and ask the operator to page the on-call Obstetric Registrar for ANSC.

The Obstetric Medicine Physician Registrar can be contacted for advice Monday-Friday during business hours by calling 9382 6111. Advise the operator to page the Registrar.

For more urgent 7 day /24hr advice, contact the Birth Unit on 0439 869 035 or 9382 6100 (from 20 weeks pregnancy). 

Referring into the Royal Hospital for Women- Antenatal Service

• RHW ANSC Practitioners Flyer
  

 SESLHD Electronic Referral

• SESLHD Existing services Flyer
• Healthlink Updating Practice Name
• Healthlink Investigation Header Patient Details
  

ANSC Diabetes in Pregnancy Update May 2025

• GPSC Diabetes update May 2025

Clinical Business Rules (CBRs) – RHW Guidance for GPs

It is the responsibility of all ANSC General Practitioners (GPs) to utilise and adhere to the Royal Hospital for Women (RHW) Clinical Business Rules (CBRs) to ensure safe patient care and evidence-based clinical decision-making.

Access all the RHW CBR’s here:

Royal Hospital for Women Policies | South Eastern Sydney Local Health District

Important Reminders:

Haemoglobinopathy screening in Pregnancy:

Perform haemoglobinopathy screening during the early routine antenatal blood tests (including FBC, haemoglobinopathy screen, and iron studies). Ensure ethnicity is documented on the request form. This screening should be done if not performed previously, if prior results are unavailable, or if the patient has any of the following risk factors:

High risk ethnicity: Central and Southeast Asian, Indian, Sri Lankan, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, African descent, Pacific Islander or New Zealand Maori, Central/South American, Brazilian

 Mean corpuscular volume (MCV)<80fL or mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH) <27pg

Known haemoglobinopathy carrier, family history of haemoglobinopathy in woman, biological father or gametes donor’s family

If abnormalities are identified or for further management  refer to the clinical business rule  – RHWCLIN080IronDeficiencyAnaemiaandHaemoglobinopathiesinPregnancy.pdf

Screening for Thyroid Disorders in Pregnancy:

Universal thyroid screening in pregnancy is not recommended.  Instead, targeted screening should be performed in pregnant woman with the following below listed risk factors –

•  History of past thyroid disease
•  Known thyroid antibody positivity  
•  Age > 30 years
•  BMI >40 –
•   Personal or family history of autoimmune disease e.g. T1 diabetes mellitus, coeliac       disease 
• Presence of goitre   
•  Residing in an area of known iodine insufficiency 
• Use of medications that can affect thyroid function e.g. lithium, amiodarone
• History of infertility, pregnancy loss or neck irradiation

For management of abnormal results or further information on Thyroid disease in Pregnancy  refer to the RHW  Thyroid disease in pregnancy CBR.

If you require further non urgent assistance, contact the Liaison midwives on

0417 995 153 for support with abnormal results, management and/or to discuss further referrals.

RHW Birth Unit Tours and Classes for pregnant women

The Royal Hospital for Women Updated Classes

The RHW antenatal education classes have been updated to align with current evidence and NSW Health policies and frameworks including First 2000 Days, Safe Start, Women-Centred Care, and the Safer Baby Bundle. The contemporary approach to education and facilitation is designed to keep couples interested and engaged with the content.

Birth and Transitions to Parenthood is a 12-hour antenatal education course designed for expectant parents to gain the knowledge, skills, and confidence to navigate pregnancy, labour, birth, and the early weeks of parenthood. Delivered by registered midwives trained in group facilitation, the course uses adult learning principles to ensure content is relevant, practical, and personalised to each family’s needs.

Participants explore topics such as birth planning, labour stages, pain management options (medical and non-medical), newborn care, postpartum recovery, breastfeeding, partner support, and early parenting. The course fosters a supportive, inclusive environment where couples can share experiences, reflect, and prepare together for their unique journey into parenthood.

Course Format:

• Weekend Option: 2 consecutive Saturdays, 9:00am–3:00pm
• Weekday Option: 4 weekday evenings, 5:30pm–8:00pm

Booking Note:
 Courses are in high demand, so encourage early booking.

“General Practitioners’ perspectives on universal screening for cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection in pregnancy”.

• GP Serology Screening Survey
• Email Invitation Serology Survey

Please advise and refer to the Cross Cultural Worker at RHW, for women from CALD backgrounds.

• https://www.seslhd.health.nsw.gov.au/royal-hospital-for-women/services-clinics/directory/pregnancy/cross-cultural-worker-maternity-plus-child-family-health-services
• July 25 Pregnancy Education
  

Tongue Ties: To Snip or Not to Snip!

Tongue ties (Ankyloglossia) have been a hot topic among parents in recent years, especially when it comes to concerns about feeding, speech and dental health. The Royal Hospital for Women (RHW) follow a structured approach to identify restrictive lingual frenulum’s that might be affecting breastfeeding. If needed, RHW perform a frenotomy to release the restriction and support a smoother breastfeeding experience.

Over the past six years, RHW have gathered valuable insights into how treating restrictive lingual frenulums can impact breastfeeding.

Click here for the full article:

RHW Menopause Hub moves to Complex and Severe

As part of the NSW Government initiative to enhance menopause services for women across the state, the Royal Hospital for Women Menopause Clinic has transitioned to a new model of care in 2025, with the focus of treatment on Severe and Complex.

The move to the new Menopause Hub on Avoca Street means women can access specialist services including gynaecology, endocrinology, and psychiatry, along with specialist nurses and other allied health.

Referral criteria can be found on HealthPathways under “Menopause Specialised Assessment”, referrals can be made via the e-Referrals system, and women will be triaged into the appropriate clinic, depending on their needs. Patients who do not fit criteria for the Menopause Hub will be supported by a specialist nurse, offered a comprehensive women’s health assessment as well as information and resources on where to access further help.

With capability building in primary care being one of the clinical priorities of the initiative, GP case conferencing is available at the Hub and there are plans for GP shared care in the future. Free bimonthly GP education seminars are also available via the menoEcho platform. (https://aci.health.nsw.gov.au/networks/menopause/menoecho)

Further information available at –

https://www.seslhd.health.nsw.gov.au/royal-hospital-for-women/services-clinics/directory/menopause-hub

https://sesydney.communityhealthpathways.org/welcome

Menopause Specialised Assessment

https://aci.health.nsw.gov.au/networks/menopause