Four more postnatal hubs to open after success of first five 

Health minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill with healthcare workers at one of the new postnatal hubs in Shankill, Dublin. It comes after the success of hubs in Cork, Kerry, Carlow-Kilkenny, Sligo, and Galway. 

Four more postnatal hubs are set to open around Ireland following successful openings of five hubs in Cork, Kerry, Carlow-Kilkenny, Sligo, and Galway.

The hubs provide postnatal healthcare in community settings away from busy maternity hospitals, while remaining linked to local hospitals, with the Listowel centre, for example, connected to University Hospital Kerry.

Health minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill said the new hubs will link in with three Dublin maternity hospitals — the National Maternity Hospital, Holles St; the Coombe Hospital; and the Rotunda Hospital — and Our Lady of Lourdes in Drogheda. 

An investment of €500,000 has been made in each of the four centres for the first year.

Further hubs are planned for Waterford, Limerick, Cavan, and Letterkenny.

Positive response to first five hubs

It follows an external evaluation report led by Dr Deirdre Daly and Dr Susan Hannon at Trinity College Dublin on the first hubs in Cork, Kerry, Kilkenny, Portiuncula, and Sligo.

One mother, Eden, told the researchers: “Every single community in this entire country should have something like this because, I think, for moms to have it, it's just invaluable for so many people.” 

Other women described how healthcare workers spent time talking to them about their own physical or mental health. This was reported at a higher rate than in general postnatal care as graded by the national maternity experience survey 2020.

The review said: “Women were impressed that ample time was dedicated to their care, and that they received a thorough, and proactive, postnatal health check delivered in a sensitive and professional, yet informal manner.” 

Staff midwife Rhowena Woodward, right, taking care of Roisin Considine and her baby Paddy Kennelly at the postnatal hub in Listowel, Co Kerry in 2024. File picture: Domnick Walsh

Ms Carroll MacNeill said the hubs were set up in response to criticism of gaps in postnatal care in 2020.

“Women said that postnatal supports need to be strengthened, and we listened,” she said.

Angela Dunne of the National Women and Infants Health Programme said the hubs offer “services such as feeding support, birth debriefs, mother and baby checks, physiotherapy, and both one-to-one and group supports”.

She also noted “a clear call for more hubs and extended access to supports” from women who spoke to the evaluation team.