From Department of Health
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Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly today launched the National Women and Infants Health Programme’s Annual Report for 2021.
The National Women and Infants Health Programme was established in the HSE to lead the management, organisation and delivery of maternity, gynaecology and neonatal services, strengthening such services by bringing together work that is currently undertaken across primary, community and acute care. The Programme acts as a single central authority on maternity care and as a reference point and resource for women’s health issues within the HSE, providing for much needed coordinated oversight.
Minister Donnelly said:
“Promoting Women’s Health is a priority for me and the government. The investment and developments we are seeing in women’s health demonstrate that this area is now receiving the focus and support it needs to provide timely and effective services to the women of Ireland.
“The National Women’s and Infants Health Programme has undertaken very important work in the development of women’s health services since its establishment in 2017, particularly in maternity services, but also in the areas of gynaecology, fertility and sexual assault treatment services. The effect of that work is reflected in this Report where we can clearly see the benefits for the women and families accessing health services.
“Women have more choice when it comes to maternity care in 2021, with 24% of pregnant women booked on the Supported Care Pathway. More women could also access more services closer to home, with additional community midwifery services and Early Transfer Home services becoming available.
"We also saw brand new services coming online, with additional ambulatory gynaecology clinics, as well as the establishment of specialised endometrial and menopause clinics in Tallaght and the NMH.
"2021 was a challenging year for the HSE, with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the cyber-attack on HSE systems, but this Report shows that the Programme continued to make significant progress in 2021.
“In Budget 2022, I secured additional funding of almost €9 million for the implementation of the National Maternity Strategy. This will ensure the continued implementation of the Strategy into 2022 and beyond, in line with the revised Implementation Plan. As Minister, I have made it clear that I am determined to improve access, affordability and quality of women’s health services and as part of that, I want to ensure the ongoing development of safe, trusted, standardised, maternity care which supports better outcomes for women.”
Mr Kilian McGrane, the Director of the National Women and Infants Health Programme added:
“I welcome the publication of the National Women & Infants Health Programme’s Annual Report for 2021. Despite the major challenges of 2021, our maternity services performed very well and continued to keep women, babies, and staff safe, while delivering quality care in very challenging circumstances. Despite these challenges, 2021 saw a number of important milestones achieved, which we plan to build upon.
"In 2021, we saw a significant increase in funding for women's health, and that is reflected in the Annual Report with further progress in implementing the National Maternity Strategy and a major increase in the number of ambulatory gynaecology centres. This investment, which was matched with further investment in 2022, has greatly enhanced the care provided to women across our 19 maternity services."
As recommended by the National Maternity Strategy, the National Women & Infants Health Programme (NWIHP) has submitted it’s 2021 Annual Report to the Minister. The report sets out progress with regard to the implementation of the National Maternity Strategy, the roll out of the Ambulatory Gynaecology Model of Care, and service developments in the areas of endometriosis, menopause, fertility and transvaginal mesh.
NWIHP’s 2021 report sets out a number of important developments and achievements, including:
The roll out of the Ambulatory Gynaecology Model of Care began in 2020 with Phase 1 focused on 3 hospitals with significant waiting lists – Cork, Rotunda and Galway. Funding was provided in 2021 for an additional eleven sites, including the expansion of pre-existing clinics. This brought the total number of operational ambulatory gynaecology clinics to 7 by the end of 2021. Work continues in relation to recruitment, refurbishment and equipping of the remaining ambulatory gynaecology clinics funded in 2021, with a view to these clinics becoming operational in 2022.
Most women who seek menopause support can be effectively supported by their GP. However, approximately 25% of symptomatic women will require specialist medical expertise in menopause due to more complex care needs. These more complex cases will be dealt with in the specialist menopause clinics being developed around the country. The first specialised menopause clinic was opened in December 2021 in the National Maternity Hospital.
With funding secured from the Women’s Health Taskforce, NWIHP worked with Tallaght University Hospital (TUH) to develop a specialist referral pathway for women with very complex endometriosis. Funding was invested in TUH in 2021 to build capacity for dealing with complex endometrial cases, requiring invasive surgery.
Following on from the 2020 investment into the first 4 Regional Fertility Hubs, 2021 saw the continued implementation of this phase with additional investment in 2 further Regional Fertility Hubs, to be established at Nenagh General Hospital (under governance of University Maternity Hospital Limerick) and University Hospital Galway. By the end of 2021, all 6 fertility hubs had been funded and approved, with 4 hubs fully operational and the remaining 2 projected to open in 2022.
In 2020, a €1 million investment package was allocated by NWIHP to the HSE National Mesh Complications Service, based at CUMH and the NMH, to provide multidisciplinary specialist services for women suffering from transvaginal mesh related complications. Referral to the HSE National Mesh Complications Service is via a patient’s primary consultant, GP or internal referral pathways. The HSE have advised that this National Mesh Complications Service has been fully operational since 1 September 2021.