Shared Care – Include Your GP In Every Stage of Your Pregnancy
What Is Shared Care?
Shared care is an arrangement between your hospital and your General Practitioner (GP).
Some of your antenatal appointments will be with your local doctor and others will be at your hospital of choice. The appointment location depends on the reason for the visit, most of your scan and tests would take place at the hospital whilst your general routine appointments for checkups would be done by Doctors at Landsborough.
The benefits of a shared care pregnancy?
One of the key benefits of a Shared Care pregnancy is the ability to talk with and visit your local GP who is familiar with you and your current state of health.
Combined with the knowledge your local doctor has on your health and wellbeing, post-pregnancy is just as important and shared care allows your doctor to have more of a holistic overview to you and your baby’s health.
It means that the same GP who has cared for you during the pregnancy can continue to care for you and your baby in the weeks and months after birth.
What does shared care cost?
Being bulk billing doctors we do not charge out of pocket for appointments. Along with your normal check-ups, your shared care appointments will be bulk billed with no out of pocket expense. To Book in an appointment, use the book now button at the bottom of this page.
When and how often are my appointments?
The below table shows examples of recommended Antenatal appointments.
| Confirmation of pregnancy | Visit your GP for:
Referral for first-trimester screening for genetic abnormalities e.g. Down syndrome (if you choose)* |
| 15–18 weeks | Visit your hospital or community clinic, where you will see both a hospital midwife and doctor, for:
|
| 16 weeks | Visit your shared care doctor or midwife (to be booked by you) |
| 18–20 weeks | Ultrasound of your baby* |
| 22 weeks | Visit your shared care doctor or midwife (to be booked by you) |
| 28 weeks | Visit with hospital midwife for:
If your previous birth was a caesarean, you will also see a hospital doctor to discuss your birth options. |
| 32 weeks | Visit your shared care doctor or midwife (to be booked by you) |
| 34 weeks^ | Visit your shared care doctor or midwife (to be booked by you)
or Visit with hospital doctor if you are Rh negative blood type (for anti-D injection) and vaginal swab for group B Strep* |
| 36 weeks^ | Visit with hospital doctor for vaginal swab for group B Strep
or Visit your shared care doctor or midwife (to be booked by you) if you are Rh negative and had a hospital visit and anti-D injection at 34 weeks |
| 38 weeks | Visit your shared care doctor or midwife (to be booked by you) |
| 40 weeks | Visit your shared care doctor or midwife (to be booked by you) |
| 41 weeks | If you have not had your baby, a doctor will see you at the hospital. At this visit, you are likely to have some tests to check the baby’s heart rate and the amount of fluid around your baby.* |
This table above was used from Better Health
^ The location of your visit at 34 weeks and 36 weeks will depend on whether you are Rh negative or positive (blood type).