Urgent action is needed to address inequities in national perinatal pathology services, according to a recent HSE report.
Current provision of perinatal pathology services is “inadequate and inconsistent”, the National Women and Infant Health Programme (NWIHP) Quarterly Report – Q4 2025 outlined.
This means that some maternity units are “without access to timely perinatal pathology and other units [have] access to a limited scope of services,” the report stated.
“Access to perinatal pathology services varies significantly across regions, which can be highly distressing for parents and families,” the report added. “It also places considerable strain on staff in units without these services, leaving them unable to provide answers to families who have experienced a loss.”
The report said addressing the current “inequity” in services is “urgent, especially in the context of statutory obligations under the Coroners Act 2019”.
“NWIHP will continue to work with the maternity networks to identify system pressures and will undertake a capacity analysis in early 2026 to inform Estimates 2027 submissions related to this area,” it stated.
Perinatal pathology services are underpinned by the National Standards for Bereavement Care Following Pregnancy Loss and Perinatal Death (2022) and the Model of Care for Perinatal and Paediatric Pathology (2014), both of which emphasise equitable national access.
According to the HSE, since 2018, investment has been made in supporting the development of perinatal pathology services nationally, including funding for consultants, medical scientists, laboratory aides, and administrative support posts.
“While important progress has been made in recent years through this targeted investment and service development, further work is required to achieve a consistent national model of service provision,” a spokesperson told the Medical Independent.
“To address variabilities in service provision, NWIHP has established a national working group to review perinatal pathology services and identify current service gaps, capacity pressures, and future service requirements across the maternity system.”
The spokesperson pointed out that an analysis of service demand and capacity is currently underway. The analysis will inform submissions for Estimates 2027 and future service planning in the area. “Consideration of any additional funding requirements for 2027 will be informed by the outcome of this ongoing review process,” according to the spokesperson.
Separately, the report also highlighted resourcing concerns in relation to other areas.
Within perinatal genetics, the report stated there was “no further clarity available in relation to the funding for… consultant posts”.
The report noted that work was continuing on the second edition of the national Model of Care for Neonatal Services.
However, it warned there was currently “no funding provided to support implementation” of the new model, which was in draft form. In general, the report identified financial and staffing pressures across the NWIHP, warning these issues posed a risk to service delivery nationally.
The report stated that, under the HSE Pay and Numbers Strategy, all NWIHP-funded posts that were vacant as of 31 December 2023 were subsequently “suppressed”.
This amounted to approximately 40 whole-time equivalent (WTE) posts and €4 million in funding. According to the report, these were posts “previously funded by NWIHP and vacant at that time [that] no longer exist”.
The NWIHP further stated it was operating with a budget deficit of approximately €12.8 million, separate from the decommissioned posts issue.
The report noted that the Programme was working with HSE colleagues “to highlight the areas impacted and the WTEs associated with the funding anomalies and to establish whether the shortfall can be addressed.”
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