3164. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Health whether the objective of providing continuity of maternity care through a named lead professional, as set out in the National Maternity Strategy, remains a policy objective under Sláintecare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55042/26]

3284. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Health if her attention has been drawn to a campaign in relation to maintaining the choice of private maternity care (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55629/26]

3285. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Health if she can offer any assurances regarding the concerns raised by a campaign related to maintaining the choice of private maternity care (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55630/26]

3304. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Health if she has considered the impact that a reduction or withdrawal of private maternity care services will have on women's choice in maternity care; whether she has engaged with representatives of service users, clinicians and hospital boards on this matter; the measures being taken to ensure that women continue to have access to continuity of care during pregnancy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55756/26]

3367. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Health to examine the concerns raised in correspondence (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56041/26]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 3164, 3284, 3285, 3304 and 3367 together.

The Government remains committed to ensuring that every woman has access to safe, high-quality, person-centred maternity services. This commitment is reflected in the National Maternity Strategy and in the significant investment made in maternity and neonatal services in recent years, including expanded staffing, enhanced infrastructure and the implementation of specialist models of care across the country.

The Public Only Consultant Contract (POCC) was introduced on the 8th of March 2023.  This contract is a key step in the move towards universal, single-tier healthcare with public hospitals exclusively used for the treatment of public patients, as envisaged in the Sláintecare Report.  All consultants who switch to a POCC, regardless of specialty, are not permitted to conduct private practice in public hospitals beyond the conclusion of transitional arrangements stated within the terms of their contract.

The transition applies to all private care, including maternity. The availability of private consultant care in public hospitals will reduce over time, however, private maternity care is and will remain available in public hospitals beyond 31st of December 2025 via consultants who continue to work on older contracts. There is no requirement for these consultants to switch to a POCC and their contractual arrangements provide for private practice in public hospitals up to retirement. The last of these contracts were issued prior to March 2023.

The aim of the Sláintecare reform is to build a health service that provides timely access to high-quality healthcare based on clinical need rather than ability to pay. This principle applies across the health service, including maternity services.

The implementation of the public-only consultant contract is a key reform in delivering that objective. The intention is not to reduce the quality of maternity care or remove access to consultant-led care, but to ensure that consultant-led care is available equitably across the public health system and to strengthen public maternity services for all women. Women with complex or high-risk pregnancies will continue to receive consultant-led care appropriate to their clinical needs.

Maternity care in Ireland is provided in line with the National Maternity Strategy (NMS). The Strategy sets out how to provide woman-centred care, so that every woman can expect the same quality of care regardless of her location or her ability to pay, and to ensure women have choice regarding the pathway to the birth of their baby, within the context of their clinical presentation.

The National Maternity Strategy sets out a Model of Care for maternity services, with three care pathways tailored to the clinical needs and risk profile of each woman and her baby:

• The Supported Care Pathway is midwife-delivered and available to women with a normal risk profile.

• The Assisted Care Pathway is shared care between medical and midwifery staff and is for women with an elevated risk profile.

• The Specialised Care Pathway is a consultant-led service for women deemed to be high risk at booking.

The model of care provides appropriate pathways to ensure that mothers, babies, and families get the personalised care that they need.

Through the National Maternity Strategy, we have significantly expanded midwife-led care for women with normal-risk pregnancies via the Supported Care Pathway through the funding of more than 390 additional nurses and midwives.

This pathway is available in all 19 maternity units and offers a community-focused model of care, enabling women with uncomplicated pregnancies to access birth options across hospitals including a range of alongside birth units/home from home rooms, community, or home settings.

Under the specialised care pathways all mothers identified as high risk pregnancies are led by a named consultant within a multi-disciplinary team of midwives and other specialists.

The Government’s priority remains the delivery of safe, evidence-based and compassionate maternity care. This includes strengthening continuity of care, expanding consultant-led services for women with complex pregnancies, increasing workforce capacity and ensuring that women remain at the centre of policy decisions.

We will continue to listen to women and drive improvements across maternity services, building on the significant progress and investment to date driven through the National Maternity Strategy. This includes delivering a successor to the Strategy, as outlined in the Programme for Government.