Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent)
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11. To ask the Minister for Health the current status of his review of maternity services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26885/14]

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent)
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I tabled this question to find out the Minister's timeline and terms of reference for the national review of maternity services. It also reiterates Deputy Ó Caoláin's question on the status of the tainted review of the west-north west hospital group.

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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My Department, in conjunction with the HSE, is preparing a new national maternity strategy, which will provide the strategic direction for the optimal development of safe and high quality maternity services. The commitment to develop a maternity strategy arises from my acceptance of the recommendations of the Health Information and Quality Authority, HIQA, report into the death of Savita Halappanavar. That report recommended that a strategy be developed to implement standard and consistent models for the delivery of a national maternity service that reflected best available evidence to ensure that all pregnant women had appropriate and informed choices and access to the right level of care and support. The strategy will incorporate a review and evaluation of our current maternity services. This will give us the opportunity to take stock of the services that are provided to women and their babies in our 19 maternity hospitals and identify how we can further improve the quality and safety of the care we provide. It is intended to finalise the new strategy by the end of this year.

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent)
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I asked this question, which the Minister has not answered twice this morning, because five of the six options contained in the west-north west hospital group's report suggested the closure of Portiuncula Hospital's obstetrician-led maternity services. The sixth option - to do nothing - was dismissed. Of the hospitals in the group, Portiuncula is the safest, one of the most efficient and the second largest. This week, the group's management team issued a statement to the effect that the current review would be subsumed by the national review of maternity services. I am concerned by this, as it will not lead to the best possible patient outcome or the provision of the safest possible services.

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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Sadly, the Deputy is prejudging the situation. The national maternity review being conducted by my Department is nowhere near finalised. I have made it clear on the floor of the House that, while the report commissioned by the west-north west group may be used to help inform the national review, it has no status in and of itself. My Department is conducting the review to ensure safe and comprehensive services while observing the underlying principle of our health policy, namely, that patients should be treated as near to home as possible in a safe, timely and effective manner. I ask the Deputy not to prejudge the national review's outcome. It may suit purposes locally to upset people and undermine their confidence in the hospital-----

Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister spent a fair bit of time doing that himself.

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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-----and the staff's confidence in their security of tenure, but it is not necessary. There is no intention of closing Portiuncula Hospital or its maternity services.

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent)
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I thank the Minister for his clarification, but that was not my suggestion. I do not want to prejudge the outcome of the review that the Minister is spearheading, as a review of maternity services is necessary, given the death of Savita Halappanavar and events in Portlaoise. We all want a quality and safe maternity service. However, a report specifically focused its attention on Portiuncula Hospital. I want the Minister's assurance that the report in question, which is tainted in its content, never mind its origins, will make no input into the national review. There is an agenda in the west-north west hospital group to undermine services at Portiuncula Hospital, which is not in the best interests of women anywhere in the country.

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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I am happy to assure the people of Ballinasloe and surrounding areas that they have in Portiuncula a good and safe maternity service with a bright future. Without prejudging the outcome of the review, we have no notion of downgrading or removing that service. I do not know where the patients would go.

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent)
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Exactly.

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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However, I must point out that, were I to tell the House that the report compiled by the west-north west group at a cost of €20,000 was to be utterly ignored, I would be castigated from a height for wasting public resources. Of course it will help to inform the national review, but the fact that some of its options - I remember there being four, not five - suggested closing Ballinasloe hospital's maternity services has no status in my view. I see no rationale for doing that.

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent)
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I thank the Minister for his clarification.