The SurPre Model of Care – putting the Guideline into practice

The SurPre Model of Care sets out a practical, family-centred approach to translating the Guideline's recommendations into action in real clinical settings. It was co-designed with families, young adults born preterm, and the health professionals who care for them to make sure it reflects what actually matters to the people it is designed to serve.

When families were consulted, some clear priorities emerged:

• Having one main person to contact makes a real difference. It reduces stress and means someone actually knows your child.
• Where and how follow-up happens matters. Returning to a hospital NICU environment can be hard for families.
• Families want to know what to expect and feel like there is a plan.

The result is a Model built around family-centred care, targeted to the children who need it most.

A tailored approach

The SurPre Model works by matching the level of follow-up to each child's individual needs:

• Children are placed into one of three monitoring levels based on their developmental profile at age 2 with the level adjusted every six months as they grow and develop.
• Follow-up covers four key areas: cognition, language, motor skills, and behaviour.
• Children who need more support get more; families whose child is tracking well are not burdened with unnecessary appointments.

Putting the Model to the test

As part of a research study, the SurPre Model of Care is being put into practice between 2025 and 2028 across four major Melbourne hospital newborn follow-up clinics: the Royal Women's Hospital, Monash Medical Centre, Mercy Hospital for Women, and Joan Kirner Women's and Children's Hospital. Around 40 families with children born extremely preterm are being followed up under the Model from age 2 to 4 years.

The study is looking at how acceptable the Model is to families, how well it can be delivered within existing health service settings, and what it costs to run. Families and health professionals are both central to this process. Their experiences and feedback are being collected throughout, alongside information on children's developmental progress and access to early intervention services.

The goal is to understand what works, what could be improved, and how the Model could be made available more broadly across Australia.

SurPre Model of Care supplementary documents & reports -

SurPre Model of Care Public Consultation (May 2025) 

SurPre Model of Care Report (May 2025)

SurPre Model of Care Supplement (May 2025)