James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to provide reassurance regarding the future delivery of high quality and safe maternity services in the west of Ireland. I thank both Deputies for having raised this issue.

Recent reports appear to suggest that some hospitals within the west-northwest group, including Mayo General Hospital, are to lose their maternity services. These reports are purely speculative and, as such, unhelpful. I fully recognise that such unsubstantiated reports are a cause for concern for patients and staff, and I regret any upset which may have been caused.

Maternity services in the west-northwest hospitals group are under review but, let me be clear, no decisions on reconfiguration will be taken in that context. The position is that the review arises from the implementation of the recommendations of the HIQA report into the death of Savita Halappanavar.

In addition, the Higgins report on the establishment of hospital groups, requires that each hospital group prepare a strategic plan for service configuration, consistent with national objectives for the delivery of patient services. These reports provide the backdrop for the review currently under way in each hospital in the west-northwest hospitals group, including the maternity units at Mayo General Hospital, University Hospital Galway, Portiuncula Hospital Ballinasloe, Sligo Regional Hospital and Letterkenny General Hospital. The review is in the early stages and will take some months to complete.

Maternity services in all parts of the country will be subject to review and evaluation this year as part of the development by my Department of a new national maternity strategy. The development of this strategy is currently under way and will determine the optimal configuration of maternity services to ensure that women in Ireland have access to safe, high quality maternity care in a setting most appropriate to their needs. It is the intention to publish the strategy this year.

Deputies can be assured that any decision on maternity service reconfiguration will be considered in the context of the national strategy and, therefore, on a national rather than a local basis. No decisions on service reconfiguration will be implemented without the agreement of my Department and certainly not in advance of the publication of the proposed national maternity strategy.

Developing the strategy will provide us with the opportunity to take stock of current services and identify how we can improve the quality and safety of care provided to women and their babies. The strategy will ensure that our services are fit for purpose and in accordance with best available national and international evidence well into the future.

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