Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 5 November 2024
1079. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Health in respect of the 2022 Women’s Health Action Plan, if he will report on his Department’s achievement of the maternal health goal of a maternity bereavement survey. [44227/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Women’s Health Action Plan 2022-2023 was launched in March 2022 and committed to supporting a maternity bereavement survey, the first of its kind for Ireland. The National Maternity Bereavement Experience Survey (NMBES) is part of the National Care Experience Programme, a joint initiative by the Health Information Quality Authority (HIQA), the Health Service Executive (HSE), and the Department of Health.
Women and their partners (or support person) who experienced a second trimester miscarriage, a stillbirth or the early neonatal death of a baby in one of Ireland's 19 maternity units or hospitals between 1 January 2019 and 31 December 2021 were invited to participate in this experience survey.
The survey reflections a commitment made in the National Maternity Strategy 2016-2026 to evaluate maternity care services from the perspectives of the women who use them.
Participants shared their experiences of the care they received, from communication and information at the time of the antenatal diagnosis, through to labour and birth, postnasal and bereavement care, neonatal care, investigations, discharge home, follow-up care and care in the community.
The results of the National Maternity Bereavement Experience Survey were published on the 18th of May 2023 and are available on www.yourexperience.ie
The findings of this national survey are driving service improvements in maternity bereavement care, acknowledging what is working well and identifying areas where improvements are needed. The HSE and the National Women and Infant Health Programme (NWIHP) are using the survey findings to inform and underpin NWHIP's work across a range of current and future projects and programmes.
The HSE also published their response to the findings of the National Bereavement Experience Survey 2022 with information on the quality improvement plans underway as well as their plans for ongoing quality improvement in hospitals to improve patients' care experiences.
The Department of Health is and will continue using the information gathered to inform the development of policy in relation to maternity bereavement care. HIQA is using the survey findings to inform their approach to the monitoring of maternity care.
The Department of Health remains committed to improving health outcomes for women as outlined in the Women’s Health Action Plan 2024, and HIQA has initiated work to run a second iteration of the National Maternity Experience Survey in 2025.
