Albert Dolan (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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2797. To ask the Minister for Health the further investments planned for maternity services in the west of Ireland, including Portiuncula University Hospital, PUH, and University Hospital Galway, UHG; if she will consider commissioning a fully independent external review of maternity services at UHG; and if she will provide an update on the implementation timeline for the 34 recommendations arising from the five external reviews into maternity and neonatal care at PUH. [42053/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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The safety and quality of our maternity services are of critical importance to the women and families who use them, as well as to this Government.

The developments at the Portiuncula University Hospital (PUH) maternity unit may undoubtedly cause concern and worry for many women and families who attend or plan to attend services at PUH.

There are twelve external reviews in total related to maternity care at PUH, which are at various stages of progress. Seven of these reviews have now been completed, and a number of recommendations have arisen from these reviews.

The HSE has advised that work to implement the recommendations arising from the reviews is in progress through the work of the PUH External Management Team (EMT) and the Regional Women’s & Children’s Managed Clinical and Academic Network (MCAN).

An implementation team has been established to ensure the implementation of the recommendations arising from all reviews and to progress any further changes required over the coming months.

This work will therefore continue to progress over the coming months, with close monitoring and engagement within both the HSE and the Department of Health. This includes ensuring sufficient capacity and resources are in place across the HSE West and North-West region.

A plan is in development to create a Level 4 campus at Galway University Hospital, focusing on several key developments, including improvements to the maternity unit.

Consideration for the future direction of maternity service development will require an extensive evidence base, of which a review of the implementation of the current National Maternity Strategy will form part. The Programme for Government commits to developing a successor to the existing National Maternity Strategy 2016-2026. The work to develop this new strategy will include any wider policy issues arising from the PUH reviews and their recommendations.