Eastern Health offers Extended Postnatal Care Service (EPC) as an extension of postnatal care in a community setting.
All women are offered an EPC visit upon discharge from Eastern Health and receive one to three visits depending on their risk status and level of support required. The first visit from EPC is commonly the day after discharge, however this will be communicated prior to discharge.
Women and babies in the service can be referred back to hospital for clinical reasons via Birthing Suite or via Special Care Nursery.
Once the mother and baby are discharged from the EPC service you will be referred to your Maternal and child Health Nurse and GP for ongoing care.
Women who have had a stillbirth or neonatal death are still offered EPC to facilitate postnatal care as well as bereavement care.
Families with surrogacy arrangements will be offered EPC for both the birthing person and for the family who are the parents on the baby.
- Feeding support
- Jaundice monitoring
- Birth debriefing
- Mental health support
- Wound care (perineum and caesarean wound)
- Early parenting education
- Newborn behaviour
- Newborn screening test
- Newborn weight monitoring
Neonates meeting inclusion criteria for phototherapy in the home may be offered this service as part of the ‘Keeping Families at Home’ project. This can prevent the need for an extended postnatal stay or readmission following discharge as well as preventing separation from the family unit. Keeping families together supports breastfeeding and family bonding.
Women who have had a stillbirth or neonatal death are still offered EPC to facilitate postnatal care as well as bereavement care.
Families with surrogacy arrangements will be offered EPC for both the birthing person and for the family who are the parents on the baby.
Referrals to our EPC service are for families in the Eastern Health catchment zone
For external referrals, please contact Angliss or Box Hill EPC coordinator during business hours to confirm details and timing of visit.
Neonates meeting inclusion criteria for phototherapy in the home may be offered this service as part of the ‘Keeping Families at Home’ project. This can prevent the need for an extended postnatal stay or readmission following discharge as well as preventing separation from the family unit. Keeping families together supports breastfeeding and family bonding.