Foetal medicine specialist brings further
expertise to quality maternity service
One of Queensland’s most sought-after foetal medicine
practitioners is moving his practice to Greenslopes
Private Hospital.
Dr Frank Carmody’s new rooms are
located in the recently completed
Nicholson Street Specialist Centre within
the hospital footprint.
Dr Carmody is a long-standing,
experienced specialist who has chosen to
relocate from Sunnybank to Greenslopes
Private Hospital because he considered it
to be a facility offering obstetric excellence.
He will provide an onsite service five days
a week for both obstetricians and GPs
who are managing their patients during
the various stages of pregnancy.
It will give Greenslopes Private Hospital
the opportunity to offer a foetal medicine
specialist for the first time.
Dr Carmody is trained in carrying out the
non-invasive testing, which involves an
ultrasound and biochemistry assessment.
4 | GPH News – May 2019
“We now have the ability to recognise
foetal abnormalities and to predict
pregnancy outcomes as early as 12
weeks,” he said.
“We can detect if the foetus is unwell,
if a woman is likely to have growth
restrictions and if she is likely to deliver a
baby early.”
Dr Carmody said the ability to detect
problems meant in many cases they could
make small changes that would improve
the outcomes for both mother and baby.
“Because of my training and background,
I can advise the caring obstetrician or GP
on how to best manage the pregnancy for
optimum outcomes,” he said.
Dr Carmody said recent studies showed
some issues could be resolved as easily
as taking aspirin daily throughout
the pregnancy.
“It is incredible,” he said. “If you can
prevent problems from happening in the
first instance it is much more sensible
than needing to manage it.”
The testing, which is based on algorithms
developed in the UK, can also reduce the
rates of early pre-eclampsia by a factor of
nine or ten.
Dr Carmody, who has been practising
foetal medicine for 29 years, said it was
a unique field.
“There aren’t many specialties where
you get to look after two patients,”
he said.
The national model developed for
Ramsay Health Care facilities will be on
offer to maternity patients inside the
hospital from July.
Maternity services manager Raechel
Frost said: “This is an opportunity for us
to meet the women and start to build up
a relationship and rapport so when they
do come in to have their baby, it’s not the
first time we are seeing them.”
Specially-trained midwives will provide
patients with two check-ups before the
birth and post-natal appointments for up
to six weeks.
One of the check-ups will include a
comprehensive screening at 20 weeks,
to ensure the health of the mother
and baby.
“The women will come in so we can
talk through their birth expectations,
undertake a comprehensive midwifery
care plan and discuss additional specialist
support if required," Mrs Frost said.
A group of Greenslopes midwives
have undergone additional training
in preparation for the start of
the program.
They will work in conjunction with the
obstetricians to provide additional
personal support for patients during
their pregnancy.
“It really complements the current
obstetrician-led model that we have.
We have a good strong relationship
with the doctors at the moment and
this is very much an additional avenue
of support for women ” Mrs Frost said.
The ‘Know My Midwife’ program
will start as a trial and expectant
mothers will need consent from their
obstetricians to participate.
It is hoped the program will soon be
available to all mothers who give birth at
Greenslopes Private Hospital each year.
New and expectant mothers at Greenslopes Private Hospital
will soon have access to more support during and after their
pregnancies through the ‘Know My Midwife’ program.
Dr Frank Carmody
More support for expectant
mothers at Greenslopes