Parents all over the country welcomed the news of the introduction of the Republic of Ireland’s first National Maternity Strategy recently, and fresh details of the provisions were revealed today.

 

Former Master of the National Maternity hospital, Dr Peter Boylan, revealed that the placing of trained bereavement counsellors will form a major part of the Strategy.

 

Speaking to Today FM’s Anton Savage, Dr Boylan said that access to professional bereavement counsellors makes all the difference when delivering sensitive news to a family, particularly after the loss of a child. Believing that a counsellor’s specific skill set can trump a doctor’s ‘clinical’ approach to family death, he said that the Strategy will be making this service available in hospitals all around the country.

 

Dr Boylan added that investment from the €50 million in revenue set aside for the Strategy will go towards appointing a number of new obstetricians each year, to bring the Republic of Ireland up to international norms among other leading maternity services.

 

 

Insisting that the new Strategy will come into effect as it is ‘vital’ to the country, Dr Boylan added that – next to strong leadership, training and governance – auditing will be a priority in maternity departments going forward.

 

Indeed, he insisted that increased communication between all maternity staff will be a priority under the Strategy, so that every member of staff is informed of treatments, circumstances and problems arising in each and every patient’s case.

 

The Strategy, which was unveiled by Minister Leo Varadkar at the end of January, will concentrate on giving babies the best possible start in life, while also focusing on women’s choice and health during pregnancy.

 

Minister Varadkar previously said that the Strategy will be about “safety, quality and choice”.

 

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