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Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 8 Nov 2001

Vol. 543 No. 4

Written Answers. - Maternity Services.

Bernard Allen

Question:

97 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will investigate a report (details supplied) that some patients had to receive maternity care outside the State due to the lack of beds in the Dublin maternity hospitals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27364/01]

My Department is advised by the Eastern Regional Health Authority – ERHA – that it is aware of one case, which occurred in August of this year, where a patient had to be referred to Belfast for treatment due to a capacity problem at that time in the Dublin maternity hospitals.

A number of factors have been identified by the ERHA as contributing to the pressure on the Dublin maternity hospitals. The number of births in the eastern region has increased from 20,646 births in 1996 to 22,813 in the year 2000 with a further increase expected in 2001. This includes a high number of asylum seekers availing of obstetric services in the eastern region. It is expected that there will be about 3,000 births relating to asylum seekers in Dublin in 2001.

A further contributory factor to the current pressures is the level of referrals from outside the region. The ERHA advises that 10% of the workload in the Dublin hospitals relates to women from outside the region. The ERHA has recommended to the Dublin maternity hospitals that, in general, referrals from outside the region should be based on an assessment by a consultant in the women's own region that such a referral is warranted on clinical grounds. The ERHA is also contacting other health boards with a view to facilitating women to access maternity services in their local areas in keeping with a policy of regional self-sufficiency. However, services will continue to be provided to patients living outside the region who require access to specialised obstetric services. The ERHA has also set up a working group with the three maternity hospitals to develop proposals for immediate, medium and long-term solutions to the current difficulties.

I have established a special forum to examine the current difficulties being experienced by the Dublin maternity hospitals in relation to the recruitment and retention of midwifes. Information recently received by my Department indicated that while the three hospitals are short 84 midwives, the net vacancy situation is actually 54 posts, when account is taken of the number of registered general nurses employed by the hospitals. The forum includes representatives of the three Dublin maternity hospitals, my Department, the Health Service Employers' Agency, the Eastern Regional Health Authority and the nursing unions. It held its first meeting on 19 October and has been asked to report back to me as a matter of urgency. This forum will build on a number of initiatives already taken to recruit and retain midwifes.

I assure the Deputy that the provision of a comprehensive, safe and high quality obstetric service for the eastern region will continue to be of the utmost priority.

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