Community & Business
11 May, 2026
Midwife Mentors for Darling Downs Health
A new generation of midwives is being nurtured across the Darling Downs, thanks to a Queensland Government-funded Midwifery Clinical Facilitator Program that is strengthening maternity services and building a sustainable regional workforce.
Coinciding with International Day of the Midwife (recognised on 5 May), celebrated under the global theme One Million More Midwives, the program is delivering tangible results.
The program is creating meaningful career pathways for experienced clinicians while mentoring and supporting graduate midwives to work and stay in regional communities.
The initiative has provided 39 new graduate midwives across the Darling Downs access to midwifery clinical facilitators, including for the first time in all rural facilities.
Darling Downs Health Service Chief Executive, Annette Scott, PSM, said the expansion of midwifery clinical facilitators was an essential investment in both patient care and workforce sustainability.
“Midwifery Clinical Facilitators are the quiet force behind exceptional maternity care,” Ms Scott said.
“They provide hands-on guidance and leadership for our students and new graduates, ensuring women and babies across the Darling Downs receive the safest, highest-quality care.”
Clinical Midwife Facilitators are highly experienced midwives who mentor and assess student and graduate midwives during clinical placements, acting as a vital bridge between university education and real-world practice.
At Toowoomba Hospital, facilitators like Natalia and Natalie are embedded in busy clinical environments, providing calm, consistent support when it matters most.
Natalia said the role was as much about confidence as clinical skill.
“The role of the clinical facilitator is to support the clinical space, support for first year practice midwives as well as other midwives generally who are seeking to upskill or improve on clinical skills,” Natalia said.
“Sometimes it’s about reminding them of what they already know - they’ve been there, they’ve done the education, they are all extraordinarily competent and intelligent.”
The program gives experienced midwives the opportunity to step into higher-level clinical leadership roles, while ensuring graduate mid-wives receive structured, consistent support during the most critical stage of their careers.
