Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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Thank you for your query on the education pathway to becoming a qualified lactation consultant.

The Department of Health national health policy, including the Healthy Ireland Framework, the National Maternity Strategy, the Obesity Policy and Action Plan and the National Cancer Strategy, emphasises the importance of supporting mothers who breastfeed, as well as taking action to increase breastfeeding rates in Ireland.

Since 2016, through the Health Service Executive (HSE) Breastfeeding Action Plan (Breastfeeding in a Healthy Ireland 2016-2021), supports available for breastfeeding in Ireland have improved. The HSE has established the National Breastfeeding Implementation Group to progress a range of actions, across a number of divisions, to provide the supports that mothers require at all stages of the breastfeeding continuum.

In May 2021 Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly, announced additional funding of €1.58m, to fund twenty-four additional HSE Lactation Consultants, thereby providing support to every maternity unit in the country. There is currently 59.1 WTE dedicated lactation posts employed in the HSE, with 35.5 WTE working in maternity services and 23.6 WTE in primary care.

Education and Training for Healthcare Professionals (HCP’s) is one of the five themes in the 2016-2021 Breastfeeding Strategy and Action Plan. Further training for HCPs in breastfeeding and enhanced staffing and resources for breastfeeding support within maternity services and primary care is a priority in the strategy.

Education and training for HCP’s is provided through undergraduate, postgraduate and voluntary avenues. Currently the HSE administers a breastfeeding course on HSELanD that is approved by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI) which is available to all midwives, PHN’s and other HCPs. This updated National Infant Feeding Education Programme (NIFEP) focuses on standardising the delivery of breastfeeding education and skills training, maximising blended learning, and ensuring health care staff are up to date with emerging evidence. To date, five thousand staff have enrolled on the course.

Training is provided in health specific undergraduate courses such as medicine, nutrition and dietetics, Speech and Language Therapy (SALT). Other postgraduate certificate courses are available specifically for Infant Feeding, such as the Breastfeeding & Lactation postgraduate certificate course in UCD. The International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant training (IBCLC) is another qualification that can be undertaken voluntarily through the IBCLC commission. However, the IBCLC qualification is not recognised by the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ) but it is currently the most popular qualification for infant feeding/lactation post holders working in dedicated roles. It is not a compulsory requirement in national job specifications. Staff working in lactation posts in the maternity hospitals, primary care and Children's Health Ireland (CHI) are employed in their substantive roles (nursing, midwifery and HSCP roles) and not as IBCLC’s.

The Breastfeeding Strategy and action plan is currently under review by the Breastfeeding Strategy Implementation group and is expected to be completed soon. Further exploration in the development of a level 9 postgraduate education qualification for infant feeding will remain on the HSE agenda to strengthen professional development for healthcare professionals in promoting breastfeeding. More detail on education supports for healthcare professionals in breastfeeding is evident in the World Breastfeeding Trends Initiative Report (WBTI) report that was published in late 2023. The Government remains committed to improving the breastfeeding rates in Ireland and in the training of healthcare professionals to deliver those supports.