Dan Boyle
Question:149 Mr. Boyle asked the Minister for Health and Children the supports that are being provided through his Department to facilitate home births in the Southern Health Board region. [24717/03]
Written Answers. - Home Births.
Following the publication of the report of the maternity and infant care scheme review group, the chief executive officers of the health boards established an expert group to consider approaches to providing a home birth service. The expert group recommended three pilot projects which were subsequently established and funded by my Department. These included a community midwifery service to be conducted in Cork by the Southern Health Board. This service was launched on 25 May 2001.
The implementation of this pilot project was overseen by a steering group and completed its two year pilot phase in May 2003. The project has recently been independently evaluated and a copy of the evaluation report has been forwarded to my Department.
The purpose of this project is to provide a defined, structured service, in co-operation with selected independent midwives who have entered into an agreement with the health board, to those low risk women who choose to be confined at home. This service, which is free of charge, will continue pending the outcome of the deliberations and recommendations of the national domiciliary births group established earlier this year.
The domiciliary births group has commissioned an external evaluation of the three pilot home birth projects in Cork, Dublin and Galway, and the service in the South Eastern Health Board area. The group is scheduled to report to the chief executive officers shortly. These recommendations will inform the development of future national policies, procedures and protocols for domiciliary births.