Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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261. To ask the Minister for Health the steps which will be taken to ensure the speedy implementation of the National Maternity Strategy 2016-2026 at Letterkenny University Hospital, including the supported care pathway which specifies provision for home birth. [29376/20]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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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 woman can exercise a choice with her healthcare professional with regard to the birth setting, which may be in an Alongside Birth Centre in the hospital, or at home. 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.

As the phased implementation of the Strategy is being led by the National Women & Infants Health Programme, I have asked the Health Service Executive to reply to the Deputy directly regarding implementation of the Strategy in Letterkenny University Hospital.