Fewer than one in 10 pregnant women in Australia have access to what is considered to be the 'gold standard' of maternity care.

Key points: Maternity Group Practices operate away from traditional hospital models and are flexibly suited to the expectant mother's wants and needs

Maternity Group Practices operate away from traditional hospital models and are flexibly suited to the expectant mother's wants and needs 60 per cent of births in Mount Isa use the program, a figure considered "beyond average" and "brilliant" by an academic expert

60 per cent of births in Mount Isa use the program, a figure considered "beyond average" and "brilliant" by an academic expert Fewer than 1 in 10 women have access to a Maternity Group Practice program in Australia

Maternity Group Practices (MGPs) are often found in capital cities and offer women the opportunity to work with one midwife or a team of midwives throughout their pregnancy.

The programs also work away from traditional hospital models, with appointments in the expectant mother's own home, and midwives available via text or call to answer any questions.

In Mount Isa, the program has begun with a capacity of about 60 per cent — a number so high that Western Sydney University Professor of Midwifery Hannah Dahlen said it was both "beyond average" and "brilliant".

The mother

For mother Larni Jones having someone to speak to regularly was a "beautiful, magical experience".

Ms Jones and her husband Sam Jones have four children: five-year-old Olivia, three-year-old Isla, one-year-old Levi, and Emmy, who is now six weeks old.

Ms Jones went through the MGP model during her pregnancy with Emmy.

After giving birth to Emmy, Ms Jones said her experience was "incredible".

"I honestly can say there's no negatives," she said.

Larni Jones being handed new baby Emmy. ( Supplied: Renee Johnstone, Vida Images )

"Emmy was my first where I had that option.

"It was a lot smoother, a lot more personal, and I just really felt like I had such a space held for me by [midwife] Sue."

Ms Jones suffered from postnatal depression after her second child.

"I think it would have been a lot different if I had had that continuity of care, especially six weeks after," she said.

"I think a lot of people get lost in the system — having that relationship with my midwife has been absolutely invaluable."

The midwife

Sarah Smits has been a clinical midwife for three years, working around Australia and in India.

With experience in private practices, birth centres, and hospitals, she said group practice is what she considered to be the absolute best for women, but said it could be challenging for midwives.

"You have to be quite flexible [with] caseloads, because you work with the women and what they need," Ms Smits said.

"I usually see women in their own homes, so they're really comfortable, they're on their own terms, and you can involve her children in the care as well.

Mount Isa midwife Sarah Smits. ( ABC North West Queensland: Kelly Butterworth )

"It's very much rewarding for midwives … it's quite a demanding job but when you build that relationship you definitely do get that reward back as well."

Ms Smits said one of the most important and often under-appreciated benefits of group practice was being able to monitor the mental health of mothers.

"You recognise when things deviate from the normal, especially in regards to mental health," she said.

"You form a relationship with them that is quite trusting, they disclose things to you, so you're more able to pick up on when something is not right."

The manager

Mount Isa Midwifery Group Practice acting manager Kerry Owens. ( ABC North West Queensland: Kelly Butterworth )

The group practice can service up to 60 per cent of the region's annual births, is receiving rave reviews from mothers and midwives alike, and is offering what is considered to be the best standard of antenatal care — with six weeks of continuous midwife support to new mothers.

MGP acting manager Kerry Owens said, after four new midwives were allocated to the region following an election commitment, forums were held in the region and the practice was born out of desires expressed by local women.

She said the service, which offered caseload midwifery of either two or three midwives per group of women, will soon be operated out of a separate building to the hospital offering another level of support for new mothers.

"Around Australia, midwifery group practices are growing," Ms Owens said.

Unlike many, Mount Isa's group also accepts women with higher risks who will be treated in conjunction with specialists.

The expert

Professor Dahlen said despite global trials and studies clearly showing that MGPs provide the continuity of care as the "gold standard" of midwifery models, it remained unavailable for the vast majority of Australian women.

"We know it leads to less intervention, we know that it leads to greater satisfaction, to cost savings, and fewer babies die as a result of having a midwife provide your care," she said.

Professor Hannah Dahlen says while continuity of care is the 'gold standard' fewer than one in 10 Australian women have access to the model. ( ABC News: Jerry Rickard )

"Yet we still have fewer than one in 10 women who can access it, and the majority of those women are accessing it in our big cities, not in the rural and remote areas in Australia."

Professor Dahlen said management of these models was an issue for many hospitals.

She said with a "general lack of knowledge and skill around how to manage what is a very organic, woman-centred way of working", getting MGPs right was difficult because "most health care is set up to suit the system, not those it cares for".

"Currently we have a system where we either micro-manage those midwives to death so that they all kind of throw their arms up in the air and go 'I can't take this anymore', or we have absolutely no management until it all falls apart," she said.

"We've had many programs around Australia that all started brilliantly with great passion and have all fallen over, and one of the things we think is key behind this is we have a system that does not understand the way midwives work when they're aligned to women not the system.

"In my experience, I'm seeing some of the rural and remote regions of Australia do this better than the big city hospitals."