Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)
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570. To ask the Minister for Health the estimated cost of providing two additional postnatal hubs. [26700/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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The Women's Health Action Plan 2024-2025 and the National Maternity Strategy 2016-2026 call for a coordinated approach to support postnatal women and new babies in the community. The National Maternity Experience Survey has shown that improving postnatal care is a priority for women. Since 2022, significant investment has been directed into piloting and establishing a national network of Postnatal Hubs. Five Hubs are already operational, with four more currently in development as part of Phase 2, with an expression of interest process for four further Phase 3 Hubs recently concluded.

To initiate the first two Postnatal Hubs, in 2022 €0.9 million was allocated through the Women's Health Fund. In the same year, this Government provided funding of €8.7 million for the National Maternity Strategy, through which three further Postnatal Hubs were funded. A total of five Postnatal Hubs were open by the end of 2023 in Cork, Kerry, Portiuncula, Sligo and Carlow-Kilkenny. €0.4 million was allocated in 2024 to establish four more Postnatal Hubs, with a full year cost of €1.9 million in 2025. This Government is investing an additional €2.0 million in the National Maternity Strategy in 2025, which includes €0.9 million to initiate four further Postnatal Hubs.

On this basis, the estimated Full Year Cost to establish two additional Postnatal Hubs would be €0.9 million.

These costs may be subject to inflationary increase. A review is ongoing into the first pilot Postnatal Hubs, which may also have implications for the projected costs in the future.