Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for the question and her support of the national maternity strategy. It is making a big difference. As she will be aware, I have set the progression of women’s healthcare services as a top priority of the Government. We have seen unprecedented investment in women’s healthcare and know this funding is making a big difference in gynaecology, endometriosis, screening and menopause services. We have invested in women’s mental health services, including perinatal mental health teams, as part of the national maternity strategy.

Significant investment over 2021 and 2022 provided renewed momentum to the strategy. It has enabled recruitment of nearly 150 additional full-time health professionals across maternity services. It is funding recruitment across a wide range of specialties of care with more than 70 nurses and midwives, 23 health and social care professionals, seven consultants and also supporting staff.

These staff and this investment improve services for women. They improve women’s lives every day. Each maternity service now has a lactation consultant and bereavement team. Postnatal hubs have been established in Kerry, Cork, Portiuncula and Sligo. The funding is improving home-from-home birthing suites, which I have seen in several hospitals. It is also enabling upgrades to theatres and wards. As the Deputy will be aware, we are establishing a national perinatal genomics service. There is very considerable and much-needed investment across the board in women's healthcare services and specifically, as it relates to the Deputy's question, maternity services.

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