Four new hubs will open in Dublin and Drogheda after successful pilot programmes in Cork, Kerry, Kilkenny, Portiuncula, and Sligo
The Minister for Health has announced the expansion of postnatal ‘one-stop-shops’ for new mothers in Dublin and Drogheda after a trial run of similar services received high satisfaction ratings from service users.
The four new Postnatal Hubs for women are now located in the Coombe, National Maternity Hospital, Rotunda, and Our Lady of Lourdes, Drogheda.
They come after the successful pilot of Postnatal Hubs in maternity units in Cork, Kerry, Kilkenny, Portiuncula and Sligo hospitals.
An independent external evaluation report into those hubs found that they are functioning as a ‘one-stop-shop’, offering genuine ‘wrap around’ support for women in the postnatal period. The evaluation also describes the pilot hubs as a model for best practice in postnatal care, achieving impressive satisfaction ratings from women.
Postnatal Hubs are designed to provide accessible, multidisciplinary care to women, infants, and families in community-based locations. This includes services such as physiotherapy, lactation and infant-feeding support, parent education, perinatal mental health support, bereavement support, and birth reflection services.
Each Hub will receive funding of €500,000 for its initial year, while further Hubs will be rolled out at four more locations in the coming months as part of the third phase of the project.
“The first Postnatal Hubs were established as a direct response to the feedback from women in the first National Maternity Experience Survey. Women said that postnatal supports need to be strengthened, and we listened,” said Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill.
“A great amount of work was undertaken by the first five pilot Postnatal Hubs to create a new type of service that responds to this need, and I’m very encouraged by the independent evaluation which highlights the success and impact of the existing hubs. They are clearly bridging a critical gap in postnatal care.
“I am so grateful to the four hospitals for their collaborative spirit in setting up these new hubs, building on a strong foundation of community midwifery.
“An additional four hubs will open later this year, expanding access to these vital services to more women around the country and ensuring a more positive and healthier postnatal experience for both mum and baby.”
Currently, the five pilot Postnatal Hubs operate between two and five community-based clinics in various locations within the catchment of their maternity hospital, each set up to respond to the needs of the women in their catchment area.
“We are delighted to mark the launch of the Phase 2 postnatal hubs, a significant and welcome development for women, babies, and families,” said Angela Dunne of the HSE’s National Women’s and Infants Health Programme.
“The importance of enhanced postnatal care is well recognised, and these community-based hubs provide accessible, multidisciplinary support close to home at a time when many women benefit most from reassurance, connection, and practical support.
“Offering services such as feeding support, birth debriefs, mother and baby checks, physiotherapy, and both one-to-one and group supports, the hubs deliver flexible care that often extends beyond a single postnatal visit. Feedback from women has been overwhelmingly positive, as highlighted in the evaluation report by Deirdre Daly, which found strong satisfaction with the service and a clear call for more hubs and extended access to supports.
“This launch strengthens the growing national network of hubs and reflects a shared commitment to improving postnatal care and outcomes for families across the country. We look forward to continued collaboration with the Department of Health and colleagues across acute and community services to maintain this momentum and build on the strong foundations now in place.”
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