David Cullinane
Question:352. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the cost of fully implementing the maternity strategy; the amount allocated to the strategy to date. [30362/24]
View answerWednesday, 10 July 2024
Questions (352)
Written answers
Progressing women's health continues to be a top priority for this Government. We have overseen unprecedented levels of investment in women's health. We have provided for significant funding for gynaecology, endometriosis services, for screening and menopause supports. We have invested in women's mental health services including perinatal mental health.
The National Maternity Strategy is moving into its 9th year. A total of €25.65m in new development funding has been invested from 2016-2022. This has enabled the total recruitment of over 500 full-time staff across the country.
A revised implementation plan for the National Maternity Strategy was published in November 2021. The revised Plan set out all remaining activity in relation to the implementation of Strategy 2022-2026, provided timelines for each action and mapped out the Strategy’s full implementation within the remaining timeframe of the Strategy’s lifetime. At that time, the remainder of the Strategy’s implementation was fully costed at approximately €43.7m.
Significant investment of €16m in 2021 and 2022 provided renewed momentum to the National Maternity Strategy. This has enabled recruitment of over 146 full-time health professionals across maternity services. This investment is funding recruitment across a broad range of specialties of care. Over 70 midwives and nurses. 23 health and social care professionals. 7 consultants, and a range of supporting staff.
These staff, and this investment, improve women’s lives every day.
The implementation of the strategy's Model of Care is providing more choice for women. All 19 maternity services now offer the midwife-led supported care pathway. Each maternity service now has a lactation consultant and bereavement team.
Strategy funding is providing for additional home-from-home birthing suites. It is also enabling upgrades to theatres and wards.
Furthermore, through Strategy funding, a maternity network has been set up within each Hospital Group to provide leadership and support. Training and education supports have been strengthened for maternity staff.
Investment through the Strategy and eHealth Capital Plan is also driving the roll-out of the Maternity and Newborn Clinical Management System (MN-CMS), which is a full Electronic Health Record. The MN-CMS is currently live in 4 sites, covering 40% of births nationally.
To support the Strategy, this Government has also invested in postnatal hubs. Hubs have already been established in Kerry, Cork, Portiuncula, and in Sligo. These hubs are providing postnatal care within the community; a priority identified by women in the National Maternity Experience Survey and in our Sláintecare objectives. This year I announced further funding, amounting to a full year cost of €1.9m in 2025, to open two further postnatal hubs.
Furthermore, I have directed over €1.3m of investment to establishing a National Perinatal Genomics Service; evaluating, diagnosing, managing and treating anomalies before birth.
Entering the final three years of the National Maternity Strategy, 94% of Strategy actions are either completed or in progress. These new developments are supporting improved choice for women. They are driving safe, high quality, nationally consistent, woman-centred maternity care.