Data source: Maternity Models of Care Data Set
The Maternity Models of Care Data Set (MoC DS) is a national collection of data on the models of maternity care available to pregnant women in Australia. The collection enables maternity services to report to the AIHW on the models of care available at their service and to classify these using the Maternity Care Classification System (MaCCS). This was developed by the National Perinatal Epidemiology and Statistics Unit at the University of New South Wales and the AIHW, as part of the National Maternity Data Development Project. Data collected in the MoC DS is intended to supplement information collected in the NPDC. The scope of the collection includes antenatal, intrapartum and postnatal care. The data elements within the data set describe:
- the women a model is designed for
- the carers working within the model
- aspects of how and where care is provided.
Summary information on each model of care in the MoC DS is available by maternity service on the MaCCS website. This includes the model ID number, name, the model start date and the major model category it belongs under. The unique model ID numbers that identify models of care in the MoC DS can be used by maternity services to populate the 2 model of care data items within their perinatal data collection and are collected for women giving birth.
Metadata for the data elements included in the MoC DS are described in the Maternity models of care national best practice dataset on METEOR.
Data collection
The MaCCS data collection tool (DCT) was developed to collect information on the models of care available at maternity services. Each year maternity services are invited to classify their models of care by answering a series of questions, to ensure they are classified in a standardised way. The questions used to classify each model of care are available here: MaCCS DCT questions [PDF 149kB].
The AIHW validates these models when they are submitted, and queries are followed up with maternity services. Any models of care with significant data quality queries still attached after follow up are excluded from reporting.
Information on the data elements in the MoC NBPDS can be found on METEOR.
The Maternity care classification system
The MaCCS is a standardised nomenclature for the collection of data on the maternity models of care available to women in Australia. Every model can be grouped into one of the following 11 major model categories based on the key characteristics of the model:
- public hospital maternity care
- public hospital high risk maternity care
- midwifery group practice caseload care
- shared care
- private obstetrician specialist care
- private midwifery care
- general practitioner obstetrician care
- combined care/li>
- remote area maternity care
- team midwifery care
- private obstetrician and privately practicing midwife joint care.
Data timeliness
The AIHW has worked with maternity services to develop the models of care data collection and to help services enter their models of care into the DCT. Models of care can be added to the MaCCS DCT at any time; however, services are asked to update and review their information annually to ensure their models of care information are kept up to date. For information about the timeliness of perinatal data see Data source: National Perinatal Data Collection.
Data quality and availability
The AIHW has service-level models of care information from most maternity services where women birth in Australia (98% as of 30 April 2025).
Detailed information on completeness and data quality can be found in the Maternity model of care NBPDS 2023–24; Maternity Care Classification System, 2024; Quality Statement.
Capturing models of care in the National Perinatal Data Collection
Collecting models of care at the service level also facilitates the inclusion of model of care data elements into the National Perinatal Data Collection (NPDC). The 2 model of care data elements in the NPDC are primary maternity model of care and maternity model of care at the onset of labour or non-labour caesarean section. The model of care at the onset of labour or non-labour caesarean section may be similar or different from the primary model of care a woman received through her pregnancy. Model ID numbers in the MoC DS can be used to populate the two model of care data elements in each woman’s perinatal data record and to attach NPDC data with other information in the MoC DS.
NPDC model of care data elements
Primary maternity model of care
The maternity model of care a female received for the majority of pregnancy care, as represented by a numeric identifier.
Maternity model of care at the onset of labour or non-labour caesarean section
The model of maternity care a female is under at the onset of labour or at the time of non-labour caesarean as represented by a numeric identifier.
Quality and availability of the NPDC model of care data items
In 2023, perinatal models of care information are available for women giving birth in Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia only. The model IDs supplied for these jurisdictions were validated against an extract of models of care from the MoC DS in February 2025 that were known to be available at any time between 1 March 2022 to 31 December 2023.
For 2023, between 98.2% and 99.0% of NPDC records for Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia had a valid primary maternity model of care code. Further information about the availability of data for the model of care data items in the NPDC is available in the National Perinatal Data Collection data availability resource, Models of care.