Private Maternity Services - FAQs

NT Health will not provide private maternity services.

NT Health has worked in partnership with private health insurers and private providers to develop and support alternative private maternity models.

Following the closure of the Darwin Private Hospital maternity ward, private patients are no longer able to give birth in or stay at the private hospital.

Women whose care is led by a private obstetrician or private midwife have access to birthing facilities, operating theatres and equipment in the Royal Darwin Hospital.

Private maternity packages include:

• private obstetrician-led care
• private midwife-led care
• private patient post-natal packages, including a hotel retreat and go home sooner option.

Private health insurers fund packages for private patients and their members.

If you are a private patient, email info.nthealthprivatematernity@nt.gov.au and NT Health will contact your fund to determine if it will cover the maternity packages.

Maternity services provided by NT Health continue to be available.

Read more about pregnancy and birthing services in Darwin.

Patients who wish to be treated by their chosen practitioner and/or access the private maternity packages must elect to be a private patient.

Patients who elect to be treated as a private patient are entitled to Medicare Benefits Schedule rebates and private health insurance-related rebates.

Patients will receive informed financial consent prior to admission confirming their health insurance eligibility, rebate coverage and any excess amount due as per their insurance policy.

NT Health has arrangements in place with private health insurers to rebate the private maternity packages.

In Australia, doctors and health care providers set their own fees.

It’s important to ask for a cost estimate before agreeing to any treatment so you can make an informed decision about whether to proceed.

Before your treatment, you have the right to ask your doctor or health care provider, your health insurer, and the hospital about any potential out-of-pocket expenses, commonly referred to as a ‘gap’ payment.

Being informed about the cost of your care in advance is called informed financial consent (IFC).

What is IFC?

IFC means patients are given clear information about the cost of their treatment including any expected out-of-pocket expenses (or gaps) by all relevant service providers before being admitted to hospital or receiving treatment.

For more information, read the:

• Advisory AS18/10: Informed financial consent on the Australian Government's Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care website
• Australian Government's Commonwealth Ombusman website.

NT Health is required to provide patients who elect to be private patients with IFC. This requires patients to provide their details so we can determine eligibility and any out-of-pocket costs.

NT Health will contact patients individually to provide appropriate IFC information, aligned with their insurance policy coverage.

As part of the private maternity packages, women will birth their baby at Royal Darwin Hospital supported by their private obstetrician and Royal Darwin Hospital midwives.

From January 2026, women will also have the option of birthing at Royal Darwin Hospital supported by private midwife provider, Midwives in Darwin.

Royal Darwin Hospital has a delivery suite and birthing centre, with options for water birth available. It also has a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NCIU) and Special Care Nursery (SCN) for unwell and premature babies.

New mothers and their babies will be discharged from Royal Darwin Hospital only when it is clinically safe to do so; and this does not relate to whether you are going home or to a hotel.

You will be provided with detailed information and education about what to expect as part of your post-birth recovery and how to seek assistance if you have clinical concerns about your health or your baby.

The private post-natal packages include a post-natal maternity retreat at a hotel, for a maximum of 4 nights (inclusive of your hospital and hotel stay), or a return home sooner package.

Midwives will visit new mothers at home or at the hotel to provide clinical care such as wound reviews, post-natal assessments and baby weights, as well as support infant feeding and newborn care.

Midwife services are provided for up to 10 days after birth as clinically required.

If you stay in the hotel and still require midwife visits after you have reached your maximum length of stay in the hotel, your midwife visits will transfer to your home.

The same safety and care measures apply whether mothers are located at the hotel or in their home.

Post-natal retreat package

Families can enjoy the first days with their newborn at a comfortable room at the Mercure Resort Airport Darwin.

You will receive daily visits from a midwife to provide aftercare and support.

A 24/7 phone number will be available to provide additional midwifery support as required.

The package includes:

• a private suite with:
  • king size bed
  • en-suite bathroom
  • kitchenette
  • baby change table
  • baby bath
  • baby bed
  • a fold out couch to accommodate additional space for partners and small children
• room service and dining for parents
• a commemorative newborn wrap
• a skin care gift
• nappies
• baby wipes
• towels and linen
• any extras required for post-birth recovery.

Dietary requirements can be accommodated. The mini-bar purchases are at your own cost.

Return home sooner package

This package is for parents who prefer to be at home after the birth of their baby.

You will receive daily visits from a midwife to provide aftercare and support.

You will also be able to access additional midwifery support through a 24/7 phone number.

Families will receive:

• a gift hamper with luxuries for mum and baby
• one-off cleaning service across:
  • bathrooms
  • kitchens
  • living areas
• meals package home delivered with food sensitivity options. Vouchers are valid for 3 months.

Royal Darwin Hospital Domiciliary Service

From 1 June 2025, midwifery post-natal care for private packages will be provided by the Royal Darwin Hospital Domiciliary Service.

Domiciliary is a post-natal midwifery service available to all women and newborns discharged from Royal Darwin Hospital following birth for up to 10 days post-partum as required.

During the first 3 to 5 days after birth, midwives will visit you every day.

If you have chosen to stay at the hotel, the midwife will visit you in the hotel until you have reached your hotel stay period.

Once you transfer home, the midwife will then visit you in your home.

These visits provide clinical care such as wound reviews, post-natal assessments, and baby weights, as well as support and education around feeding and newborn care.

After this initial period, ongoing support may be provided via telephone, or home visits may continue if needed.

The Domiciliary Service operates 7 days a week, between 7:30 am and 4:00 pm. Midwives will contact you to confirm what time the visit will occur.

For women living outside the service’s geographical boundary or those preferring an alternative to home visits, appointments can be scheduled at the Palmerston Health Precinct Clinic or the Royal Darwin Hospital Birth Centre.

Upon discharge from the Domiciliary Service, your care will transition to the local community child health nurse and General Practitioner (GP).

An after-hours contact line will be available for families accessing private care to call should they have any concerns while under the Domiciliary Service. This number will go through to the Royal Darwin Hospital maternity ward.

Women will be discharged from Royal Darwin Hospital only when it is clinically safe to do so. Safety is our priority.

Women will be provided with detailed information and education about what to expect in their post-birth recovery and how to seek assistance if they have concerns for themselves or their baby.

While the midwifery support services are transitioning, women will be cared for under the Royal Darwin Hospital domiciliary service.

If you experience complications, your private obstetrician will be contacted by the midwife and will meet you at the Royal Darwin Hospital Emergency Department to undertake an assessment and provide your clinical care.

In the case of an emergency, Royal Darwin Hospital obstetricians will provide care until your private obstetrician arrives.

This process ensures that all patients are appropriately triaged by a clinician.

If you are seeing a private obstetrician or private midwife, your care will continue with scheduled post-natal appointments.

If you accessed the post-natal maternity retreat or return home sooner package as a private patient in the public system, your post-natal care will be transferred to the Domiciliary Service.

If you have a caesarean birth, you will be able to access the post-natal maternity retreat (if discharged by day 3 from the hospital) or the go home sooner package, as soon as it is safe for you to be discharged from the hospital.

Your private clinician will decide when you are ready to transfer to the hotel or home.

If you or your baby have complex care needs and you are not eligible for the post-natal packages, you will still receive a meals service and mother and baby hamper pack.

Some babies may require care in the NICU or SCN at the Royal Darwin Hospital.

Mothers who are well are discharged and the baby remains as an inpatient at the hospital.

The private patient liaison officer will assist with your private packages during this time.

A private patient liaison officer will be available to help you.

Contact by phone on 8999 2509 or email info.nthealthprivatematernity@nt.gov.au.

You may change your package selection provided the IFC and all required forms have been completed after birth.

Private practicing midwives play a valuable role in providing quality care and support for families and strengthening the maternity services workforce.

Private practicing midwives help expand access to care and enhances continuity of care for pregnant women, aligning with the government's commitment to offer Territory families with a choice of safe maternity care models.

NT Health is in partnership with Midwives in Darwin who provide a range of services focused on personalised and continuous care throughout:

• pregnancy
• labour
• birth
• postnatal period.

This includes antenatal care, labour and birth support, postnatal care, and breastfeeding support.

Private practising midwives also coordinated integrated care with private and public obstetricians, GPs, Royal Darwin Hospital maternity staff.

This care model provides an additional privately insured option for women in the Territory.

More information

Contact Midwives in Darwin by calling 0431 095 847 or emailing claire@midwivesindarwin.com.au.

For more information, go to the Midwives in Darwin website.

Partners can stay in the delivery suite or birth centre for the duration of the birth and immediate aftercare usually about 4 hours.

Single rooms are limited, and it is likely you will share a room with one other mother and baby.

Royal Darwin Hospital delivers more than 2,000 babies each year and has the resources and facilities available to safely care for expecting families and an anticipated 250 additional births following the closure of Darwin Private Hospital’s maternity ward.

Having an age appropriate and properly installed car seat is essential to ensure the safety of your baby.

We recommend you have the child car seat correctly installed before you go home.

In Australia, it is law to have a rear-facing car seat until your baby is at least 6 months old, although it’s recommended to leave it rear-facing for longer.

The car seat should meet the Australian and New Zealand standards.

For mum

• Antenatal information record (provided by certain obstetrician’s only).
• Health fund/Medicare card.
• Pre-natal information from your obstetrician.
• Appropriate clothing for labour and birthing:
  • comfortable casual clothing and footwear
  • nightwear or dressing gown
  • maternity bras and briefs.
• Breastfeeding pads.
• Maternity sanitary pads.
• Breast pump (optional).
• Toiletries.
• Tissues.

For your new baby

• Nightgowns or grow suits.
• Singlets.
• Nappy change lotion, bath lotion or pure soap (if desired).
• Baby bonnet and dummy (optional).
• Baby wipes.
• Baby wraps and blankets.
• Disposable nappies if wanting to use these.
• Formula, bottles and teats, if not breastfeeding.
• Approved car child restraint for discharge home. This is required by law.