Minister Donnelly opens new Ambulatory Gynaecology Clinic and Home-from-Home birthing suite in Sligo University Hospital
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From: Department of Health
- Published on: 23 February 2024
- Last updated on: 6 June 2024
- €1.1 million invested in new Ambulatory Gynaecology Clinic for Sligo and Northwest Region
- €100,000 investment provided for new Suimhneas home-from-home birthing suite
- clinic has positive impact on outpatient waiting list figures for Sligo University Hospital – reduction in waiting times making real impact on women’s lives in Northwest region
Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has today officially opened a new Ambulatory Gynaecology clinic and a new home-from-home birthing suite in Sligo University Hospital. More than €1.1 million has been invested to provide these significant additions to gynaecology and maternity services for Sligo and the Northwest region.
Progressing women’s health is a priority for the Minister and significant investment has been dedicated to advancing women’s health services since 2020. €16 million in new development funding was provided to the National Maternity Strategy in 2021 and 2022.
Ambulatory Gynaecology clinics provide a one-stop “see and treat” model of care for women. Approximately 70% of general gynaecology referrals are suitable for management in the ambulatory setting. These clinics are helping to:
- improve access to gynaecology services
- reduce the requirement for multiple gynaecology appointments
- ensure sustainability of service provision into the future, and
- improve clinical outcomes
Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly said:
“Progressing Women’s Health is a priority within the Programme for Government, and a top priority for me as Minister for Health. I am proud to have overseen unprecedented levels of funding in women’s health services. I know that this new clinic is a positive, on-the-ground improvement that will make a real difference to the women of Sligo and the Northwest.”
This clinic has already had a positive impact on the outpatient waiting list figures for Sligo University Hospital. Waiting times have reduced across all categories, making a real impact on women’s lives in this region.
Investment of more than €100,000 was provided for the new Suimhneas home-from-home birthing suite. This Supported Care Pathway is providing the option of a more homely environment for women when giving birth and is an option for women at low risk to receive care that is led and delivered by midwives.
Sligo has also benefited from a pilot postnatal hub that opened in November 2023. Women who choose to participate are provided with a full check of mother and baby, birth reflections, infant feeding assessment and supports, and general future health promotion. The feedback gathered from women has been very positive of this support.
Minister Donnelly concluded:
“It is a privilege to be part of these developments and to have witnessed first-hand here today the real improvements in access and choice available to women through the implementation of the National Maternity Strategy and the Women’s Health Action Plan."
The Minister expressed his appreciation for the dedicated work of the team in Sligo and the National Women and Infants Health Programme (NWIHP) who have driven the delivery of these services.
Notes
Ambulatory Gynaecology Clinics
The Ambulatory Gynaecology Model of Care is centred on the establishment of a network of one-stop “see and treat” ambulatory gynaecology clinics. Approximately 70% of general gynaecology referrals are suitable for management in the ambulatory setting. Ambulatory gynaecology clinics improve access to gynaecology services and reduce the need for multiple gynaecology appointments.
The outpatient waiting list figures for Sligo University demonstrate a significant reduction in the waiting lists across all categories with the opening of this clinic.
Sligo is one of sixteen “see and treat” gynaecology clinics operational across the maternity network. Work is ongoing with the development of a network of twenty clinics with further clinics becoming operational in 2024.
Home-from-Home birthing Suite
The National Maternity Strategy 2016-2026 has driven significant progress in the provision of maternity services, including the recruitment of over 500 whole-time equivalent staff across maternity services since 2017.
Government allocated €16 million in new development funding to the strategy in 2021 and 2022. This represented the single biggest investment in the Strategy since its publication in 2016.
A key vision of the Strategy is a new maternity Model of Care. Three pathways of care have now been implemented: Supported, Assisted and Specialised.
The Supported care pathway is delivered by midwives and is designed for women with normal-risk pregnancies.
The Assisted care pathway is intended for mothers and babies considered to be at medium risk, and for normal risk women at their choice. This pathway is led by an obstetrician and delivered by a multidisciplinary team.
The Specialised care pathway is intended for high-risk mothers and babies, led by a named obstetrician, and delivered by a more specialist multidisciplinary team.
The Suimhneas suite in Sligo provides the option for women of a supported care pathway for those with normal risk pregnancies.
Postnatal Hubs
Funding through the National Maternity Strategy and Women’s Health Fund has enabled the establishment of a pilot postnatal hub service in Sligo, which commenced on 12 November 2023.
This service offers a postnatal review appointment to all women prior to discharge from the postnatal ward. This includes a full check of mother and baby, birth reflections, infant feeding assessment and supports, discussion of choices for future pregnancy, and general health promotion. In addition, a midwife is available Monday-Friday to provide telephone postnatal support to women. These appointments have been very well-received by women, who appreciate the additional structured postnatal support.
The objective of the establishment of these hubs is that, regardless of care pathway or length of stay post birth, all women will have access to a comprehensive range of services within the community for a period of 10 to 14 days postpartum.