Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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254. To ask the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the recent release of the national maternity experience survey, in particular the results that showed women experienced poorer at home care when it came to mental health particularly worrying in view of the fact that homecare supports has decreased during Covid-19; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29247/20]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The National Maternity Strategy recognised the need to listen to women’s voices in order to develop and improve our maternity services and recommended that a National Maternity Experience Survey be undertaken. In that regard, I am very much welcome the publication of the results of the first survey, which I am pleased to note are overwhelmingly positive.

It is, I believe, really important that we recognise what is working well in some of our maternity services and extend that right across the system. However, it is just as important to recognise that some women did not have a positive experience. We must learn from those experiences too and address the areas where improvement is required, including in post natal support services. In that regard, the survey has informed quality improvement initiatives and each maternity hospital and Community Healthcare Organisation has now developed a quality improvement plan with clearly-defined actions to improve maternity care.

I am fully committed to improving women health services and am very confident that this survey will help us to deliver the safe, high quality, compassionate and responsive maternity service that the women of Ireland expect and deserve.