HSE service plan: The future configuration and organisation of maternity services around the country is to be examined in a new report to be carried out by the Institute of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.Small maternity centres could beaffected
The report will form part of an overall assessment of services being conducted by the Health Service Executive (HSE).
The new review to be undertaken by the institute will seek to set out minimum standards in relation to the number of deliveries, training, staffing and infrastructure in maternity units around the country.
The review could have implications for the future of a number of small maternity centres in hospitals around the State and for the type of services they currently provide.
The last analysis of services, contained in the controversial Hanly report, recommended the concentration of maternity facilities in larger regional hospitals with a population of more than 350,000.
The Government last year abolished the group which was to plan for the State-wide roll-out of the Hanly report proposals in the face of widespread public protest in a number of communities across the country.
Some groups had planned to run candidates in the next general election on the platform of opposition to the report's findings.
After shelving the so-called Hanly II committee, the Government effectively passed the issue of hospital reform back to the HSE.
A spokesman for the HSE said the new review of maternity services to be carried out by the institute arose from talks over recent months between both organisations.
He said the new initiative was not linked to the Hanly report and that the HSE always had plans to examine maternity services.
In its national service plan for the year, published in March, the HSE said that in light of changing demographic profiles and risk management issues, there were significant challenges in meeting demand within the current maternity services.
It said that there was a need to review and re-engineer these services.
As part of its terms of reference for the new review, the institute will seek to draw up standards for maternity hospitals in relation to activity levels, the number of deliveries, infrastructure, staffing, training and procedures.
The institute will also make recommendations on the establishment of a new national perinatal and epidemiological centre which would gather and assess data in relation to outcomes and new procedures.
The new review will also examine possible linkages between hospitals providing maternity services in various regions.
The review will also seek to introduce standardisation in relation to how information about patients is stored in various hospitals.
This could include proposals for a single patient chart.
It is understood that in the current year, the HSE will also carry out a review of renal services and cystic fibrosis services around the country.
Some reviews of services,which have been sought by management over the past year or so, have been held up by the row over insurance cover for hospital consultants.
