LNP promises new maternal health service

More advice and support on child health and parenting has been welcomed by Queensland doctors and mums.

A Liberal National Party Queensland government would spend $92 million on a new Queensland maternal and child health service.

LNP leader Campbell Newman said new parents will be provided two home visits and four community centre consultations in the first 12 months of a child's life.

"It's important for new parents to know they're not alone, so the service will also help link parents to local parent groups to provide a peer support network," he said.

"This is something that, irrespective of whether they live in a big city or regional Queensland, everyone should be getting the benefits from," Newman said.

But he stopped short of guaranteeing every Queensland parent would be able to access the service.

"We are going to do everything we can to offer the service to Queensland mums," he said.

Newman acknowledged there was already a free maternal health service in Queensland, but he said "it doesn't exist like this".

"The initial offering at the moment is only eight weeks, and this is for a full year," he said.

"We think this is way and above what's ever been offered.

"It's only available in 40 locations across Queensland and we believe that's not right, it should be available across the state."

Labor argues the LNP policy would only double-up on what's already offered to new parents.

Health Minister Geoff Wilson said 18 family and community drop-in centres are already providing post-natal follow-ups from community nurses.

"By last year ... almost 20,000 Queensland women received post-natal follow-ups from community nurses," he said.

"That's more than 90 per cent of women who gave birth in Queensland public hospitals."

Australian Medical Association of Queensland president Richard Kidd said the LNP policy would improve the state's system, which provided only a "hit and miss" home visit.

Home visits were important because for young families, appointments were hard to keep, the GP said.

"When you're a first-time mum, getting into routines with your baby can be quite a challenge," he told AAP.

"When you've got more than one child the other children can disrupt whatever routines you've built up."

The home environment also helped a health provider gauge a family's wellbeing and whether they need extra help, Dr Kidd said.

Queensland Centre for Mothers and Babies director Sue Kruske also praised the LNP plan, provided the existing drop-in centres would remain.

Kruske said it was important services remain for mums who need support at short notice.

"You can't have an unsettled baby and not be able to see someone for two or three or four weeks," she told AAP.

Kruske said an evaluation of the government's post-natal care, where all women are at least contacted by phone, found it was more effective when women also received visits.

"We have to ensure that those families that need it most have access to repetitive contact with the health service," she said.

AAP

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