Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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733. To ask the Minister for Health if responses, policies or initiatives have been implemented by his Department to reduce the number of miscarriages by Irish women; if so, the details of same; and the success of same. [40193/20]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The National Maternity Strategy is clear that services for couples experiencing early pregnancy loss should be enhanced. The Strategy specifically recommends that all women have easy and appropriate access, in early pregnancy, to both emergency obstetric care and well-resourced Early Pregnancy Assessment Units.

In recent years, a number of service developments have helped our maternity services to improve the management of miscarriage. These include the establishment and enhancement of Early Pregnancy Units, the introduction of new ultrasound equipment and software, the development of ultrasound training programmes, as well as the development and dissemination of national clinical guidelines for the diagnosis and management of miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy.

Also of note is the development of the National Standards for Bereavement Care following Pregnancy Loss and Perinatal Deathin 2016. The purpose of the Standards is to enhance bereavement care services for parents who experience a pregnancy loss or perinatal death. The Standards promote multidisciplinary staff involvement to prepare and deliver a comprehensive range of bereavement care services that address the immediate and long-term needs of parents bereaved while under the care of the maternity services

As part of the implementation of the Maternity Strategy, Bereavement Specialist Teams have been established in all 19 maternity hospitals/units across the country, to assist and support parents, families and professionals dealing with pregnancy loss.