• early pregnancy assessment (for women who have pain and/or bleeding in early pregnancy) 

• endometriosis assessment and management 

• Intrauterine device clinic (for patient’s needing specialist care including failed insertions or difficult retrievals) 

• reproductive choices (including medical and surgical abortions) 
  

• public fertility care (free fertility care in partnership with the Royal Women’s Hospital) 

• general gynaecology (for conditions including but not limited to, abnormal uterine bleeding, pelvic pain disorders, contraception, vulval disease, perimenopause conditions, adnexal pathology and disorders of sexual function) 

• gynaecological oncology  

• urogynaecology/pelvic floor issues 

• colposcopy (management of all screen-detected cervical abnormalities). 

• To be eligible for the service, you must be a Victorian resident with a Medicare card and be: aged 42 years or younger using your own eggs, or 

• aged less than 51 years and seeking to use donor eggs (the egg being used must be 42 years or younger at time of collection).
  

For more information visit the following pages:

Women's and Children's Allied Health

Women’s Allied Health Specialist Outpatients Clinics

Breast services

BreastWest

The Breast Care Unit provides a quality service with up to 6000 personal consultations a year for women with breast cancer. 

Breast Services

We offer a best practice multidisciplinary breast service for over 120 women newly diagnosed with breast cancer each year, as well as supporting women with a breast symptom who are diagnosed with a benign condition.

Gynae-oncology

Our staff work together to provide a coordinated service to our gynae-oncology patients.

Cancer services

We provide Cancer Services for patients in the western and central Melbourne metropolitan region.

Breast Cancer Service

Our team provides a coordinated service to our patients with breast cancer. 

Drug health services

Our Drug Health Services cater to people across the development lifespan. 

We also provide the Western Health’s Women’s Therapeutic Day Program, a free and confidential service that provides a safe and supportive environment for women to explore, understand and make changes to identified substance use. For more information on this service, view our Services for adults page.

Gynaecology

Our Gynaecology Unit provides a comprehensive gynaecological service to the people of the western suburbs of Melbourne, and across Victorian regional areas.

Gynaecology Service

Our Gynaecology Unit is based at the Joan Kirner Women's and Children's Hospital, and is the largest in the west of Melbourne.

Access to this service

For more details read the section below under the heading Referrals.

For patients

If you are a patient or relative with an enquiry regarding your care, read this page for details on the relevant departments, as well as post operative surgery discharge instructions.

Teaching, Education and Research

The Gynaecology Unit contributes to the structured teaching program and helps undergraduate students within the clinical environment.

Women's Specialist Clinics

The department provides a range of Womens Specialist Clinics for patients who require assessment and management of gynaecological conditions.

Maternity services

Maternity services - general information

African Women's Wellness Program

This program provides accessible and culturally appropriate clinical services, education and resources for African women.

Birth Suite

Our team of medical staff including neonatologists/paediatricians are available at all times and work closely with our midwives and obstetricians to provide care for you if your pregnancy, labour or birth is, or becomes, more complex.

Childbirth education

Western health currently offers two different programs of childbirth education, EmpowerED Birth, and Parenting and the Positive Birth Program by Hypnobirthing Australia.

Galinjera Maternity Program

If you or your baby are Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander, you will be offered care through the Galinjera Maternity Program at Joan Kirner Women’s and Children’s.

Homebirth

Joan Kirner Women’s and Children’s Hospital offers a publicly funded homebirth maternity care option for women and birthing people that meet the eligibility criteria. 

Joan Kirner Women’s & Children’s Antenatal Information

Information designed to assist you with any questions you may have regarding your pregnancy, including EVE, our pregnancy app for patients booked at Western Health. 

Lactation Service

We are committed to promoting, protecting and supporting breastfeeding. Read our breastfeeding policy and other support documents.

Maternity Assessment Centre (MAC)

Maternity Assessment Centre (MAC) is staffed by midwives who work collaboratively with medical staff to care for you and monitor your baby's health.

Maternal Fetal Medicine

MFM provides care for women with the highest risk and most complex pregnancies.

Maternity Unit

Find information about our Maternity ward, which is located in two areas of the Joan Kirner Building at Sunshine Hospital - Level 7 and level 8 and within the Maternity unit at Bacchus Marsh Hospital.

Options for pregnancy care

Read about our options for pregnancy care, including our midwifery care and Koori Maternity Services (KMS).

Perinatal Mental Health Service

This service provides assessment, management, ongoing psychological intervention and group parenting programs for women in the perinatal period, up to 6 months postnatally, who present with varying psychiatric and psychological challenges.

Pregnancy Bookings

Midwives at either our Joan Kirner Campus or our Bacchus Marsh Campus will provide a thorough pregnancy booking appointment for you.

Pregnancy Care Clinics

Our pregnancy care (or antenatal care) clinics are located at both Joan Kirner Women's and Children's at Sunshine Hospital and Bacchus Marsh Hospital.

Mental health and wellbeing

We provide mental health and wellbeing services for people living in western metropolitan Melbourne.

General information

Perinatal Mental Health Service

This service provides assessment, management and ongoing psychological intervention to women receiving maternity care at Western Health, Joan Kirner Women’s and Children’s Hospital.  

Yanna Yanna (Women’s) PARC

Yanna Yanna (Women’s) PARC provides support for people aged 26 and over for short-term intensive treatment  in a residential setting to women as a less-restrictive alternative to acute inpatient admission.

Newborn services

The Newborn Services department is currently funded for 30 cots, comprising intensive care, high dependency and special care beds. It is one of the five Level 6 Neonatal Units in the state of Victoria and admits approximately 1600 babies per year. 

This department can be contacted on:

Phone: 9055 2500

Women's and Children's Hospital In The Home (HITH) 

Women's and Children's Hospital In The Home (HITH) provides inpatient care and support at home for children and newborns who are patients of Western Health.

Patients and visitors

What to bring to hospital? 

This page includes information relevant to maternity and to our Women's Health Clinics to help you prepare for your stay or visit.

Paediatrics

General information

Allied Health at Western Health provide a range of specialist outpatient clinics within individual disciplines and through multi-disciplinary teams.

Children's Specialist Clinics and Adolescent Health Service

Children's Specialist Outpatient Clinics and Adolescent Health Service provide care for children and young people aged between 0-18 years.

Children's Ward

Speech pathology

Speech Pathology is based within the Paediatric Allied Health Service at the Joan Kirner Women's and Children's, Sunshine Hospital. The team helps parents with supporting babies and young children with developmental challenges. 

Physiotherapy – Sunshine Hospital 

Sunshine Hospital offers the following inpatient services:

• Maternity and Gynaecology

Sunshine Hospital also offer following outpatient services:

• Women's health and Paediatric outpatients

• Advanced Practice Clinics (paediatrics/women's health)

For more general information visit our Physiotherapy page.

Referrals 

Women’s referrals – general

This page contains details on Lead Clinicians, referral guidelines, referral forms, campuses, and contact details.

Gynaecology referrals

To access gynaecology care, you’ll need a referral from your GP. (You don’t need a referral to access the new Melton Community Sexual and Reproductive Health Hub or the Women’s Health Hub.)

Your GP will send referrals to the Joan Kirner Women’s and Children’s at Sunshine Hospital. Referrals must include adequate clinical details and any relevant investigations. Incomplete referrals will be returned to your GP.

All referrals are reviewed under the direction of the Head of Gynaecology and appointments are allocated according to clinical need. Once assessed by our clinicians, gynaecology appointments will be allocated to either Bacchus Marsh Hospital or Joan Kirner Women’s and Children’s at Sunshine Hospital.

The gynaecology clinics operate Monday to Friday during business hours. 

Maternity referrals

Women requesting maternity care at Western Health require a GP referral. For more information visit our Maternity services page and Referrals page which covers referrals for:

• Gynaecology Services

• Pregnancy Care Services

• Maternal Fetal Medicine
  

Other services

1800 My Options

1800 My Options provide information and a phoneline addressing contraception, pregnancy options (including abortion/termination of pregnancy) and sexual health. 

Australian Breastfeeding Association

As Australia’s leading authority on breastfeeding, ABA supports, educates and advocates for a breastfeeding inclusive society.

cohealth (Footscray)

Cohealth provides community health services, advocates for health and social equity, undertakes research, and develops health promotion initiatives.

IPC Health (Deer Park, Wyndham Vale)

IPC Health works with communities to address and strengthen major contributors to wellbeing and quality of living, for example in the areas of family violence and child and family services.

Jean Hailes for Women's health

A national not-for-profit organisation dedicated to improving women's health across Australia through every life stage.

Modern Medical (Caroline Springs)

Modern Medical provide several Women’s Health services, including pap smears, family planning and antenatal shared care.

Sexual Health Victoria

Sexual Health Victoria is a state-wide independent charity, for-purpose, all-choice organisation that focuses on reproductive and sexual health care, education and advocacy.

Women’s Health Hub

Opening early 2025, this GP-led clinic aims to ease symptoms and improve quality of life for women awaiting their first gynaecological specialist clinic appointment. This will include therapies for menstrual disorders, pelvic pain, menopause and other women's health issues. The Women’s Health Hub will expand the reproductive choices service to provide an option for medical termination of pregnancy.

Cancer sites and services

Cancer Council Victoria – various education information as well as support avenues and information about other cancer types

Counterpart (previously BreaCan) – Women with a lived experience of cancer are uniquely placed to help other women with a cancer diagnosis to live well. Includes information about the Navigator App available for downloading. 

BCI Westmead Breast Cancer Institute – various factsheets and information

OTIS Foundation – The foundation provides retreat accommodation at no cost to anyone dealing with the challenges of breast cancer

Canteen Australia – A resource for all young people whose lives are affected by cancer

Think Pink - An independent charitable foundation whose mission is to provide practical support and to enable a better journey through breast cancer for patients and their families.

Women’s Health Clinics

Please note, clinic times are subject to change.