'No basis' for removing midwives from  specialist clinic in Limerick, health minister says

A lunchtime protest by nurses and midwives over staff shortages at University Maternity Hospital, Limerick. Picture: Brendan Gleeson

The health minister has said there “should be no basis” for removing midwives from a specialist clinic at University Maternity Hospital Limerick.

Due to staff shortages, the Vaginal Birth After Caesarean (VBAC) clinic no longer functions as a service and is now led by a consultant obstetrician.

The suspension of the service has led to “significant distress” to pregnant women who have been informed the dedicated service has been redeployed due to staffing shortages.

After the issue was raised in the Dáil by Fianna Fáil TD for Limerick, Willie O’Dea, Jennifer Carroll McNeil said she would seek clarification.

Mr O’Dea said: “In Limerick, women who need maternity services have long enjoyed an excellent system. It is called a midwife-led series of community clinics. Effectively, what it means is that a woman will deal with the same midwife during the entire course of her pregnancy.” 

He added the HSE decided to terminate the service “without any notice to anybody”.

“I cannot overstate the anxiety, angst, and distress this has caused. I have been inundated with phone calls to my house, my office, from women, some of whom have been pregnant for quite a while,” Mr O’Dea said.

In response, Ms Carroll McNeil said the recent questions about staffing, unfunded posts, or changes were “something of a surprise to me”.

She added: “I will clarify the issue both for the deputy and for his constituents, but there should be no basis for that given the very considerable increase in staff both in the Mid West in UHL, and in the maternity services.” 

Local councillor Elisa O’Donovan said she was contacted by a woman who is 34 weeks pregnant and who had been attending the specialist clinic throughout her pregnancy. She was informed her midwife has been redeployed due to staffing shortages.

“As a result, she is being transferred to consultant-led care despite having no clinical indication for this change,” Ms O’Donovan explained. “Understandably, this has caused her significant distress at a very important stage of her pregnancy.” 

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Ms O’Donovan referred to the protest led by nurses and midwives as UMHL last week, regarding staff shortages.

“While I appreciate the pressures facing maternity services, it is extremely concerning that a specialist service supporting women with previous caesarean births has now been withdrawn”. 

According to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO), some ward rosters are operating up to 50% below safe staffing levels. The HSE and the Office of the Minister for Health were contacted for comment.