Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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620. To ask the Minister for Health the amount of funding allocated to the community midwifery services in each of the years 2010 to 2017; his plans to increase funding to this area of maternity care; his further plans to increase the availability of this service in order that it is a realistic care option for all pregnant women; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12640/18]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The National Maternity Strategy - Creating A Better Future Together 2016 - 2026- aims to ensure that appropriate care pathways are in place in order that mothers, babies and families get the right care, at the right time, by the right team and in the right place. Similarly, it recognises that, while all pregnant women need a certain level of support, some will require more specialised care. Accordingly, it proposes an integrated model that delivers care at the lowest level of complexity and encompasses all the necessary safety nets in line with patient safety principles.

The model consists of three care pathways - supported, assisted and specialised. The Supported Care Pathway is intended for normal-risk mothers and babies, with midwives leading and delivering care within a multidisciplinary framework. Care will be delivered by the community midwifery team, with most antenatal and postnatal care being provided in the community and home settings. The Strategy makes it clear that women should be offered choice regarding their preferred pathway of care, in line with their clinical needs and best practice.

The phased implementation of the Strategy is being led by the National Women & Infants Health Programme. To this end, the Programme has developed a detailed Implementation Plan which seeks to ensure that each Maternity Network/Hospital Group will have all three care pathways in place and operational in 2018. The Plan also provides that by early 2019, a minimum of 20% of pregnant women presenting at our maternity hospitals/units will have access to the supported care pathway.

In 2018, €4.15 million additional funding has been allocated for the implementation of the Strategy, and the establishment of community midwifery teams has been prioritised in the HSE Service Plan. In relation to the specific queries raised by the Deputy concerning funding allocated to community midwifery teams, I have asked the HSE to reply to you directly.