Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

33. To ask the Minister for Health if he will request the HSE to lift the ban on waterbirth with immediate effect. [26282/22]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Following a small number of incidents in the HSE's National Homebirth Service, the HSE, in the interest of the health and safety of women and babies, temporarily paused facilitating planned water births in the community in its home birth service.

Access to the HSE Homebirth service remains in place, with women continuing to be supported to immerse in water for the purposes of labour.

The pause on the provision of delivering a baby in water in the community will remain in place pending the outcome of the investigations into the incidents being finalised and considered by the HSE at national level to determine any learnings and to address any recommendations made in a structured manner.

I appreciate that this has been disappointing for women and their families, however, the HSE is committed to providing safe and effective care during pregnancy and birth and it is for this reason that this decision was made while the reviews are being undertaken.

Whilst this pause is in place, the HSE’s National Women and Infants Health Programme (NWIHP) continues to support the provision of water births in hospitals as part of a core component of maternity services.

The NWIHP is also planning to appoint an expert lead at national level, with the objective of designing and delivering a national training programme in water births for midwives, both in hospitals and in the community, and to establish a national set of KPIs and measurements on water births.