Shared antenatal care means most of your pregnancy visits happen here with a GP you know, while the maternity team at the Launceston General Hospital sees you at the agreed points and for the birth. It is the arrangement most women in Launceston use for a straightforward pregnancy.
How shared care works
After your pregnancy is confirmed, your GP arranges the early blood tests and the dating scan and refers you to the Launceston General Hospital. From there your routine antenatal visits alternate: most are here at 24 Wellington Street, and the hospital sees you at the points set out in the shared-care schedule, then for the birth. If anything changes and your pregnancy needs specialist care, the hospital takes over and we stay involved.
Come in as soon as you know you are pregnant, or as soon as you suspect it – the first visit sets up the referrals and the testing, and the earlier that happens the more options you have.
What is included
- Confirmation of pregnancy and the first antenatal visit
- Referrals for the dating scan, morphology scan and pregnancy blood tests
- Screening and testing in line with the national pregnancy care guidelines – all of the GPs who work from Health Nexus are trained in antenatal shared care
- Bedside ultrasound during the consultation with Dr Sana Mahmud, where it is useful (this is not Medicare-rebated – the cost is explained before it is done)
- Routine antenatal checks under the Launceston General Hospital shared-care arrangement
- Help in hours and after hours if something comes up during the pregnancy – the practice is open until 8pm on weekdays and all weekend
- Postnatal checks, and the six-week check for you and your baby
- Childhood immunisations from six weeks, and your own postnatal vaccinations
The six-week check
The six-week check is booked as two twenty-minute appointments, one for you and one for your baby, so neither is rushed. Your baby’s first immunisations can be given at the same visit. Babies and children aged 12 and under are bulk billed whenever the practice is open.
The doctors
Antenatal shared care is provided by the doctors below. Dr Sana Mahmud and Dr Annabelle Nones do most of the pregnancy care at Health Nexus, and Dr Sana also offers bedside ultrasound during the consultation.
- Dr Sana Mahmud – antenatal shared care, bedside ultrasound, women’s health
- Dr Annabelle Nones – antenatal shared care, women’s health
- Dr Nadia Khan – women’s and children’s health
- Dr Nalika Hendawitharana – women’s and children’s health
Fees and Medicare
Health Nexus Launceston is a mixed-billing practice. Children aged 12 and under are bulk billed whenever the practice is open, including evenings and weekends. Pension card holders over 65 and DVA Gold Card holders are bulk billed on weekdays between 8am and 5pm. Everyone else pays the consultation fee with the Medicare rebate claimed on the spot. The current fees are on the fees and bulk billing page.
The practice is open 8am–8pm Monday to Friday, 8am–5pm Saturday and 9am–5pm Sunday, every day of the year, and on every public holiday at the standard hours for that day.
Common questions
When should I have my first antenatal appointment?
As soon as you know you are pregnant. The first visit arranges the early blood tests, the dating scan and the hospital referral, and some of the screening is time-sensitive.
What is antenatal shared care?
Your pregnancy care is shared between a GP and the hospital: most visits are with your GP, and the hospital sees you at set points and for the birth. It means fewer trips to the hospital and continuity with a doctor who knows you.
Are antenatal visits covered by Medicare?
GP antenatal consultations attract a Medicare rebate like any other GP visit; billing follows the practice's usual arrangements on the fees page. Bedside ultrasound in the consultation is not Medicare-rebated and the cost is explained beforehand.
Which hospital do you share care with?
The Launceston General Hospital.
What if something worries me at night or on a weekend?
Phone the practice on (03) 6351 5610. It is open until 8pm on weekdays and all weekend, and the walk-in clinic runs 5–7pm on weekdays and 1–3pm on weekends. For severe pain, bleeding or reduced fetal movements, contact the hospital maternity unit or call 000.
