Future of Maternity Units in North East
We were sent this as a Press Release.
Leaders Question 14th May, 2014
The future of maternity services in the West/North West Hospital Group
Response
· Media reports suggesting that some hospitals within the West/North West Group Group are to lose their maternity services are purely speculative.
· I fully recognise that such unsubstantiated, and politically motivated, reports are a cause for concern for patients and staff and I regret any upset which may have been caused.
· The position is that in the context of the implementation of the recommendations in the HIQA Report into the death of Savita Halappanavar at University Hospital Galway, and the Higgins report on the establishment of Hospital Groups, the West/North West Hospital Group undertook a review of maternity services within the Group.
· This review includes the maternity units at Mayo General Hospital, University Hospital Galway, Portiuncula Hospital Ballinasloe, Sligo Regional Hospital and Letterkenny General Hospital.
· I am advised that no service reconfiguration options have been recommended and there are no plans for closures of any maternity services in the region.
· The HIQA Report into the death of Savita Halappanavar recommended that the Department of Health and the HSE should undertake a review of maternity services nationally and develop and implement a National Maternity Strategy. Work on the development of this strategy is currently underway.
· The review untaken in the West/North West Hospital Group will be considered in the context of the new National Maternity Strategy. As part of the development of the Strategy, all maternity services in the country will be subject to such review and evaluation this year.
· The Strategy will determine the optimal configuration of maternity services to ensure that women in Ireland have access to safe, high quality maternity care in a setting most appropriate to their needs.
· No decisions on service reconfiguration will be implemented in advance of the publication of the proposed National Maternity Strategy.