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About Eyre and Far North Local Health Network

The Eyre and Far North Local Health Network (EFNLHN) covers over 350,000 sq/kms and is the largest geographical area of any Local Health Network in South Australia.

Ceduna and Port Lincoln are the only two birthing sites in EFNLHN, with both sites offering a unique and supportive TPPP for graduate midwives.

Find out more about the Eyre and Far North Local Health Network.

Program information

Program information

The 12-month TPPP is an exciting, supportive and successful program. The program is designed to
ensure graduate midwives are allowed a safe and supported space to transition from a student midwife to an advanced beginner midwife.

There are two birthing hospitals in EFNLHN, both offering different models of care for birthing mothers in the community.

Ceduna District Health Service

Ceduna runs a Midwifery Group Practise (MGP) to care for local expectant mothers and averages 40 births a year. This enables local patients to be cared for by the same (primary) midwife and supported by a small group of midwives throughout their pregnancy, during childbirth, and in the early weeks at home.

The Aboriginal Family Birthing Program (AFBP) provides pregnancy, birth, and postnatal care to Aboriginal patients, or patients having an Aboriginal baby, collaborating with Aboriginal Maternal Infant Care (AMIC) practitioners, midwives, GP/Obstetricians and any relevant agencies. The Ceduna Hospital MGP was a finalist in the 2020 Nursing and Midwifery Excellence Awards.

Port Lincoln Health Service

Port Lincoln has a medical shared care maternity model, servicing birthing mothers of the Eyre Peninsula. Approximately 275 births occur in Port Lincoln per year. Port Lincoln Hospital supports birthing mothers from pre-natal education, through to community-based midwifery for 6 weeks post-natal care. Port Lincoln midwives work closely with the local GP/Obstetricians and community-based midwives to support the mother and baby through their continuum of care. Isabella Waller, Port Lincoln Midwife, was awarded the ’Excellence in Practice – Early career Midwife’ award at the 2022 SA Nursing and Midwifery Excellence Awards.

Supernumerary Days and Orientation

Each TPPP midwife is provided supernumerary days to allow them time to “find their feet” and embrace the essentials prior to commencing a safe workload. Site and ward orientation is completed during your first days of working and is tailored for each site. During this time, you will work with your allocated Clinical Midwifery Facilitator, or Senior Midwife. This supernumerary time allows new staff to ensure that the basics are covered and is provided for various shifts and at the start of new rotations (where applicable).

A TPPP orientation day is held in Port Lincoln between weeks 4 to 8 of employment. This day allows all TPPP participants from across the EFLNLHN to come together. 

Professional development days

All TPPP midwives participate in a mixture of professional development days throughout the 12 months, offered in various locations. Four of these days are held in Adelaide, at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital where all regional TPPP midwives come together. This is a time to share stories, debrief and hear about other experiences of the rural midwife.

Full-time/part-time opportunities

Each contract of employment is negotiated with the successful applicant, and their site of employment. EFNLHN aims for each TPPP midwife to work 0.84 full time equivalent (FTE) (64 hours per fortnight), however this can be negotiated taking in to account individual circumstances. The TPPP midwife must work no less than 0.63FTE (48 hours per fortnight). Full time 1.0FTE (80 hours per fortnight) is only permitted in certain circumstances.

Clinical support, facilitation and mentoring

Each birthing site in EFNLHN has a dedicated Clinical Midwife Facilitator. The Clinical Midwife Facilitators establish contact with each TPPP midwife prior to arriving on site. Establishing early contact with all our TPPP midwives is important, as we aim to ensure your commencement is as stress free as possible. We acknowledge that some of our TPPP midwives are moving to new towns to commence their career in midwifery, which can be daunting. In addition, the EFNLHN Team are here to support each TPPP midwife and are dedicated to assisting and welcoming each new staff member to our Local Health Network, our hospitals and to the career of rural midwifery. The Clinical Midwifery Facilitator walks beside each TPPP midwife, offering timely bedside support and increasing confidence during the early stages of transition.

Wellbeing

The TPPP midwife has two single weeks annual leave pre-booked in prior to commencement at their
site, allowing for four weeks annual leave to be negotiated with the site for the remainder of the year. This is one of the many strategies that we believe help with minimising the risk of “transition shock” for our TPPP midwives. We have found that this pre-booked annual leave has been a welcomed break for
midwives, helping maintain wellbeing. 

Some of the many ways in which we support new employees to maintain their wellbeing include:

  • specialised and dedicated clinical and emotional support from the Education Team
  • regular opportunities for connection
  • check-in’s
  • debriefs
  • diverse education opportunities.

Key benefits

The aim of the TPPP is to provide a supportive transition experience progressing from novice midwife to advanced beginner. This journey, over the 12-month period, is complemented by robust clinical and emotional support, timely Professional Development days, awareness of organisational socialisation and workplace culture.

EFNLHN TPPP midwives will have the opportunity to work their full scope of practise, experiencing a wide range a clinical exposure throughout the program. TPPP midwives will be supported by senior midwives, who themselves have worked in a regional midwifery role.

EFNLHN have a proud history of TPPP staff retention, with 82% of staff remaining in our workforce over the last three years.

Intake dates

  • January to February 2025

Further information

For any further information about undertaking a TPPP in the Eyre and Far North Local Health Network please contact Health.EFNLHNEducationandWorkforceDevelopment@sa.gov.au.