Press Release: SENATOR BACIK CALLS FOR REVIEW OF MATERNITY SERVICES AT INMO ANNUAL MIDWIFERY CONFERENCE

SENATOR BACIK CALLS FOR REVIEW OF MATERNITY SERVICES AT INMO ANNUAL MIDWIFERY CONFERENCE

Senator Ivana Bacik, Labour Leader, Seanad Spokesperson on Justice, Thursday 16^th October 2014

This morning I have been invited to speak at the INMO and RCNI All-Ireland Annual Midwifery Conference in Santry, Dublin, I will be calling for a review of the maternity care system, in particular focusing on the need to provide greater diversity of maternity care models, so that women may have greater freedom to choose to have midwife-led care in hospital; or to choose to have a home-birth.

“The current model of maternity care throughout Ireland is a consultant led, hospital based service. Thus the majority of women give birth in Ireland in a hospital setting, with the consultant obstetrician as the lead professional responsible for their care. While this provides a very effective childbirth service for many women and their babies, it does limit the choice for those women who present as low-risk in pregnancy and who may prefer to give birth in a different setting, either with a midiwife-led service in hospital or indeed in a home setting.”
“Recent controversies over withdrawal of insurance cover for a midwife-led homebirth service have shown how women’s choices may be limited in the provision of maternity care. I believe that we need a review of our maternity care system, in order to provide greater support for women who wish to have a home birth or midwife-led delivery. I also believe that such a review should examine high levels of medical intervention; and inconsistencies in rates of such intervention; in our maternity services.”

http://www.inmo.ie/tempDocs/20140815091049_Midwives%20Programme%202014o.pdf