New postnatal hubs launched for women attending these four hospitals

The move has come after HIQA research found that women in Ireland felt postpartum care needed to be improved.

Today, the Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill TD has launched four new Postnatal Hubs for women attending the aforementioned maternity hospitals.

The Dublin and Drogheda services have been established following the successful pilot of Postnatal Hubs in maternity units in Cork, Kerry, Kilkenny, Portiuncula, and Sligo.

The community-based clinics for each postnatal hub are:

National Maternity Hospital, Holles St, Dublin

• Shankhill
• Ballyboden
• Arklow
• Wicklow Primary Care Centres

Coombe Hospital, Dublin

• Celbridge
• Newbridge
• Tallaght
• Crumlin
• Clondalkin Primary Care Centres

Rotunda Hospital, Dublin

• Hampson House
• Rotunda Outpatients Department Building
• Grove Court Primary Care Centre, Dublin 15
• Coolock
• Ballbriggan
• Swords Primary Care Centres

Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda

• Bettystown
• Kells
• Castlebellingham
• Boyne
• Carrickmacross
• Dundalk Primary Care Centres

Postnatal Hubs will be there to provide accessible, multidisciplinary care to women, infants and families in community-based locations. 

This includes vital services like physiotherapy, health and wellness checks, feeding support, and birth reflections. 

Each Hub represents a first-year investment of €0.5 million, and more Hubs will be rolled out at four more locations later this year as part of Phase 3 of the project.

Speaking about the launch, Minister Carroll MacNeill said, “the expansion of our network of Postnatal Hubs demonstrates our continued commitment to listening to women and embedding women’s voices in policy.”

She went on to say that the first postnatal hubs were established as a response to the feedback from women in Ireland in the first National Maternity Experience Survey.

“Women said that postnatal supports need to be strengthened, and we listened.”

MacNeill said: “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.”

National Lead Midwife, NWIHP, Ms Angela Dunne said: “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.” she went on to say. 

“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.”