NMH

NMH | 2024 9 Governance We have seen changes to our clinical services and encounter ongoing and new challenges during the last 12 months. We have commenced a public infertility service, one of six publicly funded units and more recently publicly funded IVF cycles. With Board support we have introduced and remain the only maternity hospital in the country to have a full dedicated perinatal genetic service which provides care to patients with complex pregnancies where fetal abnormalities are detected, to patients suffering recurrent pregnancy loss and to couples with subfertility issues. We have introduced a hydrotherapy pool and have commenced a water birth service for suitable patients and we celebrated the 25-year anniversary of the Community Midwifery programme in 2024. We have expanded other services including the placenta accreta service which has now been funded to run as a national multidisciplinary team. We continue to engage with the HSE Estates Team, St. Vincent's University Hospital and the Department of Health to drive the proposed co-location to Elm Park forward. In the last six years, the final business case for the proposed move has been approved by Government and the tenders for the main construction contract have been returned and will be evaluated over the coming months, leading, we hope, to the appointment of a construction team in the next 12 months to commence works on the new hospital build. We have agreed the suite of legal documents underpinned by the Mulvey Agreement to ensure our independence when we move to the Elm Park site. It is vital for our service and our patients that The National Maternity Hospital maintains its voluntary status. We have faced a number of challenges over the past year. The new public-only consultant contract was introduced in March 2023, which will unfortunately, lead within a few years to women not being able to choose private obstetric care for their pregnancy. This will increase the burden of work on the public system which will prove challenging at times. The recent HSE pay and numbers strategy will make providing all services challenging but we will advocate tirelessly for our patients to redress any funding or staffing deficits. We continue to have infrastructural issues which will need to be addressed on our current site for the next number of years. We were recently granted planning permission from Dublin City Council to build a suitable patient transport lift on the outside of the building at the corner of Holles Street and Holles Row, making patient transfers through the hospital safer. The Ambulatory Gynaecology suite tender has been awarded and is expected to be completed by the end of April 2025. We continue to seek funding to develop a new Perinatal Pathology and Bereavement Suite at our current location and a refit of the clinical decontamination unit. During the year valued members of my Consultant colleagues concluded dedicated careers at NMH and I would especially like to mention, Dr Anthony McCarthy and Dr Anne Twomey and thank them wholeheartedly for their long years of service and enormous contribution to the Hospital. They are sorely missed along the Hospital corridors but I wish them only the best for the future. It is with great sadness and regret I must mention the passing of a Consultant Colleague during the year. Dr Edward Gallagher retired Consultant Anaesthetist, who provided remarkable service to our patients over the years. May he rest in peace. My thanks also to Ms Michele Connolly, who stepped down as Honorary Treasurer in May 2024, after many years of working with the Hospital. Prof Shane Higgins, Master. Prof Shane Higgins with his family.

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