Rebecca Moynihan (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome Senator O’Hara. That was a very powerful first speech to the Seanad. I know he will make a great addition and be a great voice in this Chamber over the next year.

I also pay tribute to Niall Ó Donnghaile. His absence is a huge loss to this Chamber. I hope to see him back in political life in some form in the years to come. He has very important perspectives and I do not think his passion for politics, equality and amplifying Northern voices, including the voices of Northern nationalists, has gone away.

I raise the issue of the post-natal support system, particularly in the Cherry Orchard, Ballyfermot and Chapelizod area. It is a gap that has happened as a result of people going on maternity leave. The issue is not that people are going on maternity leave but, rather, the non-replacement of people going on maternity leave. This is unfair on local PHNs, who arrive back to a cascade of problems and issues because nobody is taking over the role. It is also a problem because developmental checks are not taking place.

I will give a couple of examples from mothers in the area who have told me about key developmental checks that have been missed. One mother’s 12-month-old child has not been seen since her baby’s three-month check-up. One mother only had the five-day and ten-day check-up and was told that if there were any more issues or concerns, she should go to her GP. An 18-month-old has not had the 20- to 24-month development check and her mother said she was fobbed off when she called about this. She was told to go to her GP but the GP said they do not do development checks. One mother's child has not had a development check since five weeks and her baby is now seven months old. A local mother was told in February that the HSE management are aware of the staff shortage in the area and they were due to issue a letter to local parents, none of whom have been told about the gaps in the system. Nobody has received a letter and we have not been informed of any alternative arrangements.

Post-natal support and developmental checks are an essential service. They are particularly important to catch issues and make early interventions, particularly in an area such as Ballyfermot and Cherry Orchard. No alternative arrangements were put in place for this. We know there will be gaps in the system as public health nurses, who are predominantly women, are rightfully allowed to go on maternity leave, take reduced hours or take career breaks. The problem is when there is no alternative put in place and HSE management just says “It will be grand”. It is not fair on the public health nurses coming back when there is a cascade of issues and it is not fair on parents. In particular, it is not fair on children who might fall through the cracks as they are not getting the early intervention they need.

I ask the Leader to raise these issues with HSE management with regard to putting in place an alternative or reconfiguration in the system where this happens, such as even GPs being paid or told they have to fill some development checks. We do that for vaccines and other post-natal checks. It is an essential issue and the State is systemically failing both the people who have to take maternity leave and children in local areas.