Working together for pregnancy and newborn care in BC

Sustaining maternity services in BC is top of mind for many physicians and perinatal care professionals. In November, the Shared Care Committee’s Perinatal Community of Practice (CoP) brought together caregivers from across the province to help shape the future of maternity care. 

“The objective is to create a space where folks can come together, leverage strengths and perspectives, and come up with concrete, collaborative solutions to improve maternity care,” says Dr Alicia Power, a family physician and member of the Shared Care Committee.

The Perinatal Care Forum in Vancouver looked at how collaborative care models could support the Perinatal Services BC (PSBC) Maternity Services Strategy along with the Perinatal CoP’s strategic plan. Attendees also learned about team-based care models operating throughout BC and had time to cultivate connections with colleagues and health system partners.

Finding solutions

In an environment where resources are scarce, team-based care can bolster services, however, funding models have been slow to catch up.

PSBC has taken note, says Executive Director Robert Finch, whose presentation identified the need for a coordinated provincial approach to funding family practice that reflects the increasing complexity of care. He also identified the need for a consistent and functional model for interprofessional clinic funding as a top priority, as various clinics in different regions have put together models that work around the barriers in existing funding models to serve them in the interim, but are not easily applicable to another clinic or community.

“Interprofessional team-based care maternity clinics, utilizing available providers to full-scope, have proven to be successful in the current human resource-constrained environment,” says Finch. “Funding models to support these teams, with the flexibility to adapt to local contexts and provider mix, are required for broad implementation and sustainability of these clinics in communities across the province.”

A common barrier to providing full-scope obstetrics care is inexperience: under the current system, many family physicians no longer routinely deliver babies. Similarly, there has been a reduction in the number of midwives providing full scope maternity care, with many choosing to focus on postpartum care delivery. And with a shortage of OB/GYNs to both deliver care and train their colleagues simultaneously, that lack of exposure creates challenges in recruiting and retaining physicians who want to provide intrapartum care.

“Maternity care is like a team sport—each member has their role, but a gap in any service will impact the entire system,” explains Dr Hayley Bos, an OB/GYN and co-chair of the Perinatal Community of Practice. “OB/GYNs are good at filling gaps and responding to emergencies, but as the entire system weakens, it becomes overwhelming to provide the needed specialist support in obstetrics, while still filling a critical role in women’s health.”

Some attendees discussed being left alone in high-stress obstetrics situations, emphasizing the need to plan residency programs that ensure new doctors aren’t dissuaded from practice.

Experiential learning can be one part of the solution. With Simon Fraser University School of Medicine launching its first cohort in 2026, groups brainstormed how to maximize the hands-on experience of medical students and promote the value and rewards of intrapartum care.

Good communication in collaborative care was a consistent theme. Dr Cecile Andreas, a retired family physician and certified coach who presented at the forum, said understanding each team member’s experience and specialized skills is key.

“Teams that are open about how they work and what they expect of each other create the space for opportunities to step up and be leaders,” explains Dr Andreas.

Next steps

The Perinatal CoP team has collated discussion notes from the day and will present the findings to their steering committee in January 2026. These findings will help inform the CoP’s new strategic priorities and PSBC’s provincial maternity services strategy, which is expected in early 2026.

“The insights shared at this forum strengthen the collective voice of perinatal care providers across BC and ground our strategic priorities in the realities of maternity care,” explains Dr Kathleen Ross, incoming co-chair of the Perinatal Community of Practice.

“While we heard hard truths about workforce numbers, regional gaps, and burnout, powerful examples of collaboration and innovation were highlighted. By carrying these insights into coordinated planning, we can move from identifying gaps to building shared solutions that support team-based care, enable providers to practice to full scope, and create a more sustainable future for maternity services in BC.”

The Ministry of Health continues to participate in the Joint Collaborative Committees and is committed to continue collaborations. Following the perinatal care forum, the Ministry is working with key partners to translate learnings from this forum into actionable next steps in stabilizing the delivery of maternity services across the province.

Read the full event report, or visit the CoP’s webpage to stay tuned for updates.

Join us

Our Perinatal Community of Practice is growing rapidly, with more than 450 members committed to improving the delivery of pregnancy and newborn care in BC. If you’d like to participate, please join our membership.

The Shared Care Committee is one of four joint collaborative committees that are a unique partnership between Doctors of BC and the BC government. The Perinatal Community of Practice is an initiative of the Shared Care Committee.