Regional council hands maternal and child health service to state government

When Jes Matthews became a mum, her maternal and child health nurse became a lifeline."She's like a family member. She's like an aunt, really," Ms Matthews said."I don't think I'd have the confidence to know my son was actually OK [without her]."Living in Bendigo away from family, Ms Matthews relied on regular visits for breastfeeding support, weight checks and reassurance that her five-month-old son Bill was thriving.The City of Greater Bendigo has announced plans to hand the maternal and child health service (MCH) back to the Victorian government.Ms Matthews fears future parents may not receive the same "critical" support."It just seems like a shock … it might really throw people," Ms Matthews said."If it's not based quite so much in the community, it might be difficult to have mums' groups and connections to other services that the council offers for babies and young parents."I don't know, it just feels difficult."Jes Matthews says she has relied on regular maternal and child health nurse visits. (Supplied: Jes Matthews)Bendigo council has decided to step away from funding the MCH service by the end of the year, with the transition to a new provider expected before the end of 2026.Chief executive Andrew Cooney said the decision was about ensuring the service was best placed to support families into the future, rather than simply being about funding."We think for the next stage of this service delivery, better service can be provided through the health system," he said.Mr Cooney said maternal and child health nurses were increasingly supporting families with more complex needs, and moving the service into the public health system could provide better access to coordinated care, clinical support and career opportunities for nurses."There's much better support and much better career progression for a nurse in a public system than there is in the council," he said."We know the community really values being able to visit a service in their community, and that's going to be pretty important for us as we work through the transition."Funding shortfallThe City of Greater Bendigo is one of several Victorian councils, alongside Loddon Shire, Campaspe Shire and Hepburn Shire, transitioning responsibility for the MCH service away from local government.Andrew Cooney says the decision is not just about funding. (Supplied: City of Greater Bendigo)The service has operated in Victoria for more than 100 years and has long been described as an "international gold standard" by the Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV).In 2022, the MAV signed a memorandum of understanding with the Victorian government recognising councils and the state as equal funding partners.But a 2024 Victorian parliamentary inquiry found councils believed state funding had failed to keep pace with rising costs.Swan Hill Rural City Council Mayor Stuart King told the inquiry councils were effectively covering about 70 per cent of the cost.The Victorian government rejected that assessment, saying it did not agree the funding model was insufficient.Jennifer Anderson says councils are facing growing financial pressure. (Supplied: Jennifer Anderson)MAV president Jennifer Anderson said councils across the state were facing growing financial pressure."We've been saying for some time that this level of funding has been dropping off and the costs to staff and everything else involved with the service has increased over time, yet the funding hasn't," she said.An analysis of Loddon Shire's budgets over the past decade found state funding increased, but at a slower rate than wages, insurance and operating costs.Last year, the Victorian government invested $202 million into maternal, child health and early parenting centres across the state.But Ms Anderson said that funding did not restore the former cost-sharing arrangement."It sounds like a lot of money, but it's certainly not covering that 50-50 cost sharing that councils have been doing in the past," she saidWeakening community connectionsVictorian Association of Maternal and Child Health Nurses president Catina Adams said moving the service into the public health system risked weakening the community connections that underpinned it."It doesn't belong in the public health system … it runs the risk of diluting the service," she said."We nurses home-visited over 80,000 families within two weeks of their arrival home."It's just such an important connection, which, if [replaced with] a nurse within a public hospital system, I think would be completely lost."Federal Health Minister Mark Butler said child and maternal health services across the country need to be "bolstered".He said the new Thriving Kids program would provide nurse support for children under nine with developmental delay and/or autism, using a mix of new and existing services, including MCH nurses.Mr Butler said he was less concerned about whether services sat with councils or the state, as long as families continued to receive support."I'm a little agnostic about whether they're delivered through state systems or council systems … we just want to make sure it's there," he said.