Jim O'Callaghan
Ceist:175. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Health the estimated full-year cost of fully funding the remaining recommendations in the national maternity strategy. [43302/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraWednesday, 23 October 2024
Ceisteanna (175)
Freagraí scríofa
Progressing women's health continues to be a top priority for this Government. We have overseen unprecedented levels of investment in gynaecology, endometriosis services, for screening and menopause supports. We have invested in women's mental health services including perinatal mental health.
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 the Strategy within the timeframe 2022-2026. The remainder of the Strategy’s implementation was then costed at approximately €43.7m. A total of €27.7m in new development funding has been invested through the Strategy from 2016-2025. This has enabled the recruitment of over 500 full-time staff across the country.
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 of €2m announced for Budget 2025 (with a Full Year Cost of €4m in 2026) will ensure the continued implementation of the Strategy into 2025 and beyond. The priorities covered by this funding include:
• Additional Specialist Midwives to enhance women’s access to midwife-led care.
• Driving improvements in the safety of our maternity services through research, audit and new clinical guidelines.
• Recruiting more genetic counsellors and supporting staff to expand a new National Perinatal Genomics Service; evaluating, diagnosing, managing and treating anomalies before birth.
• Delivering 4 new Postnatal Hubs, to provide women with access to postnatal care in the community and away from a hospital environment. Five pilot Postnatal Hubs have already been established in 2023 in Cork, Kerry, Portiuncula, Carlow-Kilkenny, and Sligo. Additional funding of €0.45 million (€1.87 million Full Year Cost) has been provided in 2024 through the Women’s Health Taskforce to roll out Hubs to 4 sites. Investment in 2025 will bring the national network to 13 Postnatal Hubs.
Combined investment through the Strategy and the eHealth Capital Plan is driving the roll-out of the Maternity and Newborn Clinical Management System (MN-CMS), which is a fully Electronic Health Record. The MN-CMS is currently live in 4 sites, covering 40% of births nationally. The system is being rolled out to the remaining standalone maternity hospitals to cover 70% of births nationally and 60.5% of Neonatal Intensive Care Activity.
Following the implementation of initiatives funded in 2024-5, the HSE's National Women and Infants Health Programme (NWIHP) will assess any outstanding actions to be completed as the Strategy enters its final two years. NWIHP have advised that to date 94% of actions are either completed or in progress. All of these developments, delivered under the strategy, are supporting improved choice for women and driving safe, high quality, nationally consistent, woman-centred maternity care.