Barry Ward (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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1390. To ask the Minister for Health if consideration will be given to providing some pelvic-floor rehabilitation as a matter of course, not just for those suffering birth injuries, such as that provided in France; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29478/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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This Government is committed to further transforming women’s healthcare. The Programme for Government contains a commitment to examine the introduction of free pelvic floor physical therapy sessions for women after childbirth.

The first Women’s Health Action Plan was published by the then Minister for Health in March 2022, presenting a vision for the future of women’s health in Ireland. The current Women’s Health Action Plan, published last year, sets out women’s priorities for women’s health.

The Women’s Health Action Plan 2024-5 identifies a number of actions relating to the provision of antenatal and gynaecological care, including delivering additional “see and treat” Ambulatory Gynaecology Clinics and expanding the national network of Postnatal Hubs.

Funding has been provided to expand the existing Pelvic Floor Services in St Michael’s Hospital, Dun Laoghaire - Ireland’s first multidisciplinary clinic for the assessment and management of pelvic floor dysfunction. €274,855 was provided under the Women’s Health Action Plan 2022-2023 to provide 4.0 Whole Time Equivalent (WTE) staff to enable the expansion and development of the Pelvic Floor Health Service. Once off funding of €250,000 also contributed to this upgrade and refurbishment.

The Pelvic Floor Health Centre in St Michael’s Hospital, Dun Laoghaire is the referral centre for its surrounding catchment areas for women presenting to GPs who have pelvic issues. It also provides a specialised multidisciplinary service with women from other regions of the country who have more complex, advanced pelvic issues.

Women identified the improvement of postnatal care as a priority in the National Maternity Experience Survey, first run in 2020. The development of community maternity services, including Postnatal Hubs is helping to address this need with the provision of physiotherapy services a key consideration.

Significant investment has been directed into piloting and establishing a national network of Postnatal Hubs that provide essential care for women in the community, including physiotherapy supports, in the weeks after birth. Five Postnatal Hubs were open in Cork, Kerry, Portiuncula, Sligo and Carlow-Kilkenny by the end of 2023.

€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, bringing the national network to 13.

The Department is working with the HSE to assess further expansion of these services.