Two Irish maternity hospitals lack specialist perinatal mental health staff, five more operate reduced hours

Specialist perinatal mental health services are absent at Portiuncula University Hospital in Galway and Regional Hospital Portlaoise in Laois because no dedicated midwives are employed. The services, intended to aid women with moderate to severe depression during and after pregnancy, should exist in 19 maternity hospitals, but five further sites—University Hospital Kerry, Tipperary University Hospital, University Hospital Waterford, Letterkenny University Hospital and Sligo University Hospital—operate only four days a week, leaving more than half of the smaller “spoke” sites under-resourced.

Labour TD Marie Sherlock described the gap as “desperately serious” and highlighted a long-standing commitment under the National Maternity Strategy that remains unmet. While a mental health midwife is being recruited for Portiuncula and a part-time consultant psychiatrist is available at Portlaoise, the Department of Health says most posts are vacant and the HSE is responsible for filling them. Budget 2027 includes funding for an extra midwife at each spoke site, aiming to raise staffing to at least two per location, and a review of the hub-and-spoke model is under way.