Every Week Counts National Collaborative
Over the past two years, the Every Week Counts National Preterm Birth Prevention Collaborative has worked with more than 50 maternity hospitals across the country to support more pregnancies to continue beyond 39 weeks.
The impact of this work has been hugely significant. There have been more than 4,000 births that have been supported to continue longer than they otherwise would have.
The first round of the Program concluded in March 2024 and represented 54% of Australia’s annual public births. Final outcome data is set to be published in late 2025.
In March 2025, the Federal Government announced new funding to expand Australia’s world-first national program to safely reduce rates of preterm and early term birth with a focus on improving pregnancy outcomes for First Nations mothers. Read The Hon Ged Kearney’s media annoucement here.
The new round of funding will allow the Every Week Counts Program to hold the gains from Round One of the National Program and to expand into more hospitals and other regions to make sure that all Australian women who are having babies can benefit from this program.
There are three main areas that the National Program are working with new and returning hospitals in Round Two of the National Program. These are:
- Safe and Effective Preterm Birth Prevention – Early risk identification and commencement of appropriate preventative care
- Early Term Birth Prevention – Safely decreasing early term birth by reducing planned birth before 39 weeks where there is no medical or obstetric indication
- Partnering with First Nations Communities to provide culturally safe care.
The National Program will also implement a pilot project aimed at implementing and evaluating a screening protocol for preterm preeclampsia in early pregnancy.
To support health services to adopt and spread evidence-based practice, the Australian Preterm Birth Prevention Alliance have partnered with Women’s Healthcare Australasia and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement.
The Every Week Counts National Collaborative will use the IHI’s Breakthrough Series Collaborative Model which will support participating maternity services to test, refine, and implement an evidence-based change package that will lead to measurable results.
Visit the Every Week Counts website to find out how we are making pregnancies safer for women across the country.
2025 Every Week Counts Magazine
The Every Week Counts magazine is a nationally distributed resource that contains articles describing things every pregnant woman needs to know to ensure the best possible outcomes from their pregnancy.
If you are pregnant, or considering a pregnancy, this magazine is for you!
Every Week Counts Canberra Showcase Highlights video
In March 2024, the Every Week Counts National Preterm Birth Prevention Collaborative held its Showcase in the Great Hall, Parliament House. The event marked an incredible milestone for Australia’s world-first program to safely reduce rates of early birth.
The event brought together participating hospital teams, health service executive leaders, state and federal Ministers, those with a lived experience of preterm birth and pregnancy loss, and leaders in maternity healthcare.
Announced on the day, was the news that this world-first program has been a major success, with new data have revealing a 10% reduction in the rate of early births since the program started in 2021.
The Commonwealth- funded National Program is a collaboration between the Australian Preterm Birth Prevention Alliance, Women’s Healthcare Australasia, Institute for Healthcare Improvement, Safer Care Victoria, and the Women and Infants Research Foundation.
