Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 14 January 2026
170. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Health the maternity care changes planned for implementation in January 2026; the objectives of these changes; the assessment undertaken of their impact on choice, continuity of care and perinatal mental health supports; the consultation carried out with service users and staff; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2703/26]
View answerThe Government introduced the Public Only Consultant Contract (POCC) on the 8th of March 2023.
This Contract is a key step in the move towards universal, single-tier healthcare with public hospitals exclusively used for the treatment of public patients, as envisaged in the Sláintecare Report.
The Department of Health continues to implement the POCC in line with the Slaintecare vision. All consultants who switch to a POCC, regardless of specialty, are not permitted to conduct private practice in public hospitals beyond the conclusion of transitional arrangements stated within the terms of their contract. The HSE issued notice to all hospitals confirming this position in December 2025.
However, it must be made clear that private maternity care is and will remain available in public hospitals beyond 31st of December 2025 via consultants who continue to work on older contracts. There is no requirement for these consultants to switch to a POCC and their contractual arrangements provide for private practice in public hospitals up to retirement. The last of these contracts were issued prior to March 2023.
The POCC is a key step in delivering universal healthcare, ensuring public hospitals are used for public patients and that care is based on medical need, not ability to pay.
Over time as more consultants are recruited to or switch to the new contract, the level of private activity in the public system will decline. The transition applies to all private care, including maternity. This will occur gradually over time and therefore, the immediate impact on private maternity care will be minimal, reflecting the fact that most serving consultants who specialise in obstetrics and gynaecology hold contracts that allow them to engage in on-site private practice.
While maternity care is not currently available in private hospitals, all consultants who hold the contract, including those who specialise in obstetrics and gynaecology, will be entitled to treat private patients off-site in their own time, subject to the primacy of their public contract and meeting their commitments under it.
Since the launch of the National Maternity Strategy in 2016, significant progress has been made in the development and improvement of public maternity services. Since 2016, €28 million has been invested in new development funding through the National Maternity Strategy, transforming our maternity services for women, infants and families. The investment is improving the infrastructure of our maternity services by providing additional home-from-home birthing suites, upgrades to theatres and wards, as well as additional training and supports for our maternity staff. Women across the country now have access to a standardised Model of Care, with enhanced access to midwife-led care supported by Directors of Midwifery in every unit and hospital. Under this model of care, all women on the Specialised Care Pathway (women who are at higher levels of risk) receive care led by a named consultant in the public system as part of a multidisciplinary team, ensuring individualised care for complex needs.
The current Programme for Government contains commitments to double the number of multidisciplinary perinatal mental health teams and increase the number of perinatal mental health midwife posts, and these commitments will be pursued over the lifetime of the government.
Additional funding was provided in Budget 2026, for more posts for this Programme. A key element of the Specialist Perinatal Mental Health Service (SPMHS) and associated Model of Care is the development of a Mother and Baby Unit (MBU), to enable women to stay with their babies, in the event that they require inpatient psychiatric supports.
Work is ongoing by the HSE to progress the development of an Mother and Baby Unit (MBU) for Ireland, an inpatient mental health service with relevant maternity support to allow women to stay with their babies during their mental health treatment.
This Government will continue to listen to women and drive improvements across maternity services, building on the significant progress and investment to date driven through the National Maternity Strategy.
