3385. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Health to extend structured postnatal care and maternal mental health check-ins well beyond the current six-week model, particularly in rural areas where GP and specialist access is already limited. [56161/26]

As Minister for Mental Health, I recognise the importance of support and care during the postnatal period, including access to affordable and timely perinatal mental health supports. These supports been the focus of both the National Maternity Strategy and wider maternity service developments, such as Postnatal Hubs, in recent years.

The Programme for Government 2025 includes a range of commitments to ongoing improvements in maternity and perinatal mental health services, including a commitment to developing a successor to the National Maternity Strategy 2016-2026.

In addition, the Specialist Perinatal Mental Health Services (SPMHS) is now available in all 19 maternity hospitals nationwide, providing support to pregnant women and women with a baby up to one year old, with a new or existing mental health problem. Funding of €5 million annually has provided for the establishment of 6 consultant led multidisciplinary teams across major maternity hospitals (Coombe, NMH, Rotunda, Galway, Cork, Limerick), and 13 spoke sites staffed by perinatal mental health midwife posts. There are now over 75 funded posts in SPMHS nationally.

Under Budget 2026, I secured an additional €640,000 to recruit two additional consultant psychiatrists for the Programme’s busiest sites, the Rotunda and Holles Street, to meet growing demand for the service.

The HSE are progressing a review of the Model of Care for SPMHS, with a Steering Group due to be established shortly and a revised model published later this year. The key objective of this update is the provision of equivalent service to the major hospital sites as for the other 13 spoke sites, and this will be the focus of this second phase of the Model of Care.

A key priority under this Model of Care is to develop a Perinatal Mother and Baby Unit (PMBU). Work is ongoing by the HSE to progress the development of an PMBU for Ireland, an inpatient mental health service with relevant maternity support to allow women to stay with their babies during their mental health treatment.

To meet the needs of new mothers with moderate to severe mental illness, the PMBU must be sited at a location with access to a maternity hospital as well as an acute mental health unit. This will ensure there is always mental health and maternity expertise available. As such, it is envisaged that the PMBU will be developed on the grounds of St Vincent’s University Hospital in Dublin, and a feasibility study is currently underway to determine a location within the campus, with the study due to conclude shortly. The outcome of the study will form the basis for the next key decisions on the project.

In addition, HSE Mid-West are progressing plans for six-bed Perinatal Mental Health Unit on the St Joseph’s Hospital campus in Limerick.

With reference to the information requested, as this is an operational issue, I have referred it to the HSE for direct reply to you.