Data quality and availability
About the maternity model of care data set
The scope of the MoC DS is all models of maternity care available to pregnant and birthing women in Australia. The elements in the data set describe the different characteristics of models of maternity care around 3 domains:
- the women a model is designed for
- the carers working within the model
- how and where care is commonly provided.
Information about each of the data elements in the MoC DS are listed under Data collection documentation and on METEOR.
Data in this report
The scope of this report are the models of care available at maternity services providing intrapartum care at 30 April 2025. Models of care provided by antenatal and postnatal only maternity services are included where they are attached to a birthing service. A small number of models of care (around 2% in 2025) are available at more than one maternity service and for the purposes of reporting are counted at each service where they are available.
Reporting time trend data
To show time trends the AIHW used a snapshot of models that were reported to be in use by maternity services providing birthing care in each year.
For example, 2024 data are based on the snapshot of the data taken on 30 April 2024.
Care should be taken when interpreting changes over time, particularly for data reported for 2021 to 2023, because there have been improvements in coverage and data quality in some maternity services and the number of services in scope for the MoC DS may change each year.
How are data collected?
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) developed the Maternity Care Classification System (MaCCS) data collection tool (DCT) to collect information on the models of care available at each maternity service. A registered user for each service uses the DCT to classify their models of care, by answering a series of questions on each model of care they offer. This ensures they are classified in a standardised way. The questions used to classify each model of care are in Data collection documentation.
The DCT has a user guide to help registered users enter their models of care information accurately, and inbuilt validation and tool tips to reduce reporting errors. The AIHW also maintains a helpdesk to support services to classify their models of care. To ensure information is kept up to date, the AIHW asks maternity services to review and update their models of care annually and validates new and updated models when they are submitted. Validation queries are followed up with maternity services. Any models of care with significant data quality queries still attached to them after follow up are excluded from reporting. In this report, one model of care was excluded from national reporting.
The information submitted to the DCT forms the basis of the MoC DS. Summary information about each model of care submitted to the DCT is available for each maternity service at MaCCS. This includes the model ID number, model name and the major model category it falls under.
A note about coverage
A characteristic of the MoC DS is that the number of maternity services in scope and submitting data for the collection may change each year. While for the most part it is the same services contributing to the collection, the number of services may change due to changes at the local level, for example, new maternity services are introduced, or services may no longer provide antenatal or birthing services.
Another characteristic of the collection is that the services submitting valid data may change over time. Models of care with significant quality issues at the cut-off date for each collection are excluded from national analyses.
Most (99%) maternity services with birth facilities had at least one ‘active’, or ‘in use’ model of care, classified in the MaCCS DCT on 30 April 2025. Coverage rates are high (92% or above in all jurisdictions), however there are still some differences by jurisdiction and type of service (Table 2). A national baseline for all maternity models of care is not yet available because:
- classifying models of care for the MoC DS is voluntary
- services may not have classified and submitted all of their available models of care
- there is a gap in the collection of some information about models of care within the model category of private midwifery care as data are generally collected at the maternity service level. Some of these models will reflect generic information at the jurisdictional level and differences between these models at a local level may not be being captured. While the number of models of care in this category is likely to be small and some hospitals have entered these models of care on behalf of private midwives, this category may include models of care with poorer specificity compared with other model categories.
| Jurisdiction | Services – public (no.) | Services – private (no.) | Total (no.) | Services with at least one active model – public (%) | Services with at least one active model – private (%) | Total with at least one active model (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NSW | 65 | 14 | 79 | 100.0 | 92.9 | 98.7 |
| Vic | 40 | 14 | 54 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 |
| Qld | 39 | 13 | 52 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 |
| WA | 24 | 5 | 29 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 |
| SA | 21 | 3 | 24 | 95.2 | 66.7 | 91.7 |
| Tas | 3 | 2 | 5 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 |
| ACT | 2 | 1 | 3 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 |
| NT | 4 | 1 | 5 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 |
| Total | 198 | 53 | 251 | 99.5 | 96.2 | 98.8 |
Notes
- Includes maternity services with birth facilities. In 2025, 248 out of 251 maternity services (99%) had at least one active model of care recorded in the MaCCS DCT.
- 'Services private’ includes 2 services that are also funded to provide public maternity care.
- ‘Active’ models are those that have been classified and submitted to the MaCCS DCT and are in use at a maternity service on 30 April 2025.
Source: MaCCS DCT, 2025.
How can we improve the collection?
The completeness and quality of the MoC DS will continue to improve as familiarity with the MaCCS DCT grows, with further engagement by maternity services and maternity service providers and with the inclusion of the two model of care data elements into the National Perinatal Data Collection (NPDC). The AIHW will continue to improve the accuracy and completeness of the models of care information and to incorporate these data elements into other maternal and perinatal health reporting.
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 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. The MaCCS DCT allocates a unique model ID number to each model of care entered to it. Model ID numbers can then be used to populate the two model of care data elements in each woman’s perinatal data record and to link NPDC data with other information in the MoC DS. Analyses based on the number of women that use a particular model of care will be possible once these model of care data elements are routinely collected in the NPDC.
NPDC model of care data elements
Primary maternity model of care
Definition
The maternity model of care a female received for the majority of pregnancy care, as represented by a numeric identifier.
Guide for use
This value is populated using the Maternity Care Classification System (MaCCS) and is the value of the unique model of care code.
The model of care a female received for the majority of pregnancy care, as determined by the number of antenatal visits within that model of care.
Collection methods
To be collected once, after the birth.
Maternity model of care at the onset of labour or non-labour caesarean section
Definition
The model of maternity care a female is under at the onset of labour or at the time of non-labour caesarean section, as represented by a numeric identifier.
Guide for use
This value is populated using the Maternity Care Classification System (MaCCS) and is the value of the unique model of care code.
Collection methods
To be collected once, after the birth.
Source: METEOR.
Data collection documentation
Data quality statement
Maternity model of care NBPDS 2024–25: Maternity Care Classification System, 2025; Quality Statement
Model of Care (MoC) National Best Practice Data Set (NBPDS) data elements
MoC NBPDS data elements [PDF 31KB]
Maternity Care Classification System (MaCCS) Data Collection Tool (DCT) questions