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

The position is that in the context of the implementation of the HIQA report into the death of Savita Halappanavar and the Higgins report on the establishment of hospital groups, the west and north-west hospital group is currently undertaking a review of maternity services within the group. This review includes the maternity units at Mayo General Hospital, University Hospital Galway, Portiuncula Hospital in Ballinasloe, Sligo Regional Hospital and Letterkenny General Hospital. The review is in the very early stages and will take some months to complete.

I am informed that a draft report exists. I am further informed that it makes no recommendations on the closure of any of the five maternity units within the hospital group. The House can be assured that any decision on maternity service reconfiguration will be considered in the context of the development of a new national strategy for maternity services. 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.

The development of this strategy is currently under way and it 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 my intention to publish the strategy later this year. As part of the development of the strategy, maternity services in all parts of the country, and not just the west, will be reviewed and evaluated. The House may recall that one of the recommendations of the HIQA report into the death of Savita Halappanavar called for a review of maternity services nationally. I accept that report. 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.

We should welcome the review and look forward to similar reviews throughout the country. Such reviews will inform the national maternity strategy and help us identify how we can improve the quality and safety of care we provide to women and their babies, ensuring best outcomes for women and their babies.