Maternity care in Ireland is provided in line with the National Maternity Strategy (NMS), Creating a Better Future Together, 2016 - 2026. The Strategy sets out how to provide women-centred care, so that every woman can expect the same quality of care regardless of her location or her ability to pay, and to ensure women have choice regarding the pathway to the birth of their baby, within the context of their clinical need.
The National Maternity Strategy sets out a Model of Care for maternity services, with three care pathways tailored to the clinical needs and risk profile of each woman and her baby:
The Supported Care Pathway• is midwife-delivered and available to women with a normal risk profile.
The Assisted Care Pathway• is shared care between medical and midwifery staff and is for women with an elevated risk profile.
The Specialised Care Pathway• is a consultant-led service for women deemed to be high risk at booking.
The model of care provides appropriate pathways to ensure that mothers, babies, and families get the personalised care that they need.
Through the National Maternity Strategy, we have significantly expanded midwife-led care for women with normal-risk pregnancies via the Supported Care Pathway through the funding of more than 390 additional nurses and midwives.
This pathway is available in all 19 maternity units and offers a community-focused model of care, enabling women with uncomplicated pregnancies to access birth options across hospital alongside birth units/home from home rooms, community, or home settings.
The National Maternity Strategy aims to ensure that appropriate care pathways are in place in order that mothers, babies, and families get the right care, at the right time, by the right team and in the right place.
If a woman does not choose a pathway, the default is a shared care approach. This means the woman will attend antenatal appointments in her maternity hospital and be cared for by midwives under the supervision of a consultant obstetrician and medical team.
Under the specialised care pathways all mothers identified as high risk pregnancies are led by a named consultant within a multi-disciplinary team of midwives and other specialists.
In most pregnancies, care is straightforward and can be safely delivered through midwifery-led and multidisciplinary models, supported by consultant-led oversight when needed.
We 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. This includes delivering a successor to the Strategy, as outlined in the Programme for Government.
