Majority travel more than 10 miles to give birth

WOMEN in Leinster, outside Dublin, have to travel farthest to hospital to give birth.

The survey reveals the majority of women travel more than 10 miles to have their baby, with 17.3 miles the average distance travelled. A third of women travel more than 20 miles while a fifth travel more than 30 miles.

This situation is likely to get worse if the Health Service Executive (HSE) goes ahead with plans under the Hanley Report to centralise services.