As part of Sláintecare’s Healthy Living pillar, “A Healthy Weight for Ireland: Obesity Policy and Action Plan 2016-2025", Healthy Ireland has committed to implement the Ten Steps Forward. These Steps engage and co-ordinate multi-sectoral action to help reduce obesity and commit to investment in additional resources in acute and primary care settings together with enhanced training, provision of supports to mothers and social marketing.
This year, Healthy Ireland is making a significant investment towards giving children the best start in life through facilitating the implementation of the National Breastfeeding Action Plan. Ireland has a culture of bottle feeding and, in order to improve child and maternal health, as well as reductions in childhood obesity and chronic diseases, we need to improve our breastfeeding rates. In May, I announced funding of €1.54m which will provide the additional 23.5 lactation consultants across hospital and community settings, that are required to ensure timely skilled assistance for mothers who wish to breastfeed and support enhanced training, skills and knowledge to frontline staff.