NSWNMA workplace branches are always at the forefront of community campaigns to defend and improve local health services. The NSWNMA branch at Scott Memorial Hospital in the town of Scone, population 5000, is a case in point.

Scone’s only GP obstetrician is about to retire without a replacement. The future of antenatal, birthing and postnatal care for a large Upper Hunter catchment area is therefore under a cloud.

Muswellbrook Hospital is just 25 minutes from Scone but it lost its maternity service in 2022. Singleton Hospital, almost an hour from Scone, does low-risk birthing 24/7 and inductions and C-sections only from Monday to Wednesday.

The next-closest options are Tamworth and Maitland hospitals, each almost two hours from Scone. Both Tamworth and Maitland hospitals are under increasing pressure from a shortage of midwives and an ever-growing population. Both also operate over capacity and are understaffed.

A branch-led community campaign to prevent the closure of Scone’s maternity services has won strong public support.  The Association is working to empower, advocate for, and guide our members in Scone to achieve their desired outcome.

NSWNMA staff have helped the branch in areas such as media training, writing flyers, promoting a petition, and engaging with politicians. In doing so, they draw on the experience of countless workplace branch campaigns around the state.

Would you want your loved one to be birthing on the side of the road? If that’s a no, please sign this petition to support us,” said midwife and Scone hospital branch member Kayla Collins in a social media post.

Kayla and other branch members made short videos to promote the branch’s “Save Our Maternity Service” digital petition, which had gathered almost 3,500 signatures when The Lamp went to press.

Scone local Annabelle Norrie lent her support to the campaign by telling her birthing story to NBN TV.

Considered a high-risk pregnancy, Annabelle was recently referred to Tamworth Hospital about 140km from Scone. She didn’t make it in time and baby Toby was born on a picnic blanket on the side of the New England Highway.

Stories like Annabelle’s could become more common if Scone lost its maternity service, the NBN report warned. The broadcast generated an immediate spike in petition signatures.

Branch President Georgia Stanton said that Scone midwives became “angry and frustrated” about a lack of information from the Hunter New England LHD early in 2026. “Midwives were booking women in for births knowing that the obstetrician was retiring and there was no information from the LHD,” she said.

Midwives approached the NSWNMA for advice and branch executive members called a branch meeting. The meeting agreed to try to involve all members in a campaign to save the maternity service.

Georgia said the branch opted for a digital petition rather than paper because it would be easier to gather online support from the wide geographical area served by Scone’s maternity unit.

“The union head office helped us put together a flyer with a QR code linked to the e-petition,” she said. “Members posted the flyer on their social media and took printed leaflets around to local venues such as cafes and the public library.

“We did a lot of letterboxing and also targeted places like preschools, daycare centres and service clubs. The union did some online training for branch members on how to put our case to the media. Our members did that quite effectively.”

Community left without maternity care for more than 208km

Georgia said the campaign had got nurses and midwives more involved in the Union, with a big jump in attendance at branch meetings. The branch executive drew up a letter seeking answers from the LHD.

“This lack of transparency has contributed to increasing anxiety, uncertainty, and declining staff morale,” the branch executive pointed out.

Meanwhile, midwives found two obstetricians prepared to step in providing they could job share as hospital employees.

“However, the LHD appears to favour a midwife-led model restricted to business hours, Monday to Friday. That would be the end of birthing at Scone hospital,” she said.

“One concern is that if the maternity unit is closed after hours, presenting women would have to be assessed by ED nurses who may not be qualified midwives.

“After-hours patients concerned about foetal movement might skip assessments entirely to avoid driving long distances to another hospital.”

As a Scone branch resolution adopted by NSWNMA annual conference warned: “With ongoing maternity unit closures across the state, including the nearby Muswellbrook maternity service in 2022, thousands of community members will be left without local maternity care for more than 208km.”

The branch approached Upper Hunter MP Dave Layzell (Nationals), who agreed to table the petition in state parliament and held a virtual meeting with the branch.

The branch also received support from Upper Hunter Shire Council, which wrote to Health Minister Ryan Park.

A subsequent Shire Council meeting called on the government “to retain and restore essential obstetric services, including antenatal, birthing and postnatal care, and to improve access to timely specialist and surgical services for Upper Hunter residents, with a focus on reducing short-notice postponements and cancellations.”

Members also wrote to Chief Midwife Donna Garland seeking her support – who then replied promptly with an invitation to a virtual meeting.