Doctor voices care concerns about the HSE pitting one women’s health counselling service against another
On Tuesday, the Irish Independent revealed that a service that had been running from the Bray Women’s Health Centre for 15 years was about to shut after it lost an annual €30,000 grant from the HSE.
Mr Donnelly said that he “immediately” contacted the chief executive of the HSE after being made aware of the issue in this newspaper.
“I can give a categoric assurance that the service will continue, and there will not be any reduction in funding,” Mr Donnelly said.
“As Minister I’m aware that women need support and counselling in many areas of healthcare, including crisis pregnancies. While I welcome the HSE’s work on a new crisis pregnancy counselling plan, I have a clear commitment that the Bray service will continue.
“I have committed to investing in women’s health services and we have made significant progress in budgets in recent years in enhancing services and rolling out new services for women. This will continue in Budget 2025.
“Counselling and support is also available through the My options service and we will also continue to develop new areas of counselling in areas such as long term infertility, recurrent miscarriage and complex menopause.”
The HSE had claimed that it was a “better use of public funds” to refer women in crisis pregnancies to phone counselling, and to use the money for infertility, menopause or miscarriage counselling instead.
Dr Aoife Nic Shamhráin, whose clinic is to lose its women’s health counsellor, raised concerns about the HSE pitting one women’s health counselling service against another.
Dr Nic Shamhráin and her colleague Dr Ciara McKenna had been preparing to take over the Bray Women’s Health Centre from Dr Gillian McCutcheon, who is retiring after 40 years’ working in women’s healthcare.
The clinic is due to be relaunched as The Rose Clinic – a dedicated women’s health and menopause clinic – from the same premises in January.
Every November, the clinic received a grant of €30,000 from the HSE to offer crisis pregnancy counselling services.
Today’s News in 90 seconds – 5th November 2024
In a letter to Jennifer Whitmore, the local Social Democrats TD, the HSE had claimed that the number of women who need crisis pregnancy counselling has “declined significantly”, and said that “all counselling services” were aware that the HSE has been working on a new crisis pregnancy counselling plan.
It said that in relation to Bray, the HSE felt it was a “better use of public funding” to send women to the My Options helpline.
Minister Donnelly on Tuesday confirmed that this would now not be the case
The Department of Health did not respond to requests for comment. The HSE said that “there will be no risk to services for women requiring counselling for crisis pregnancy or post termination as this is available through the My Options service”.
“Future clients within the new practice can avail of counselling and support through the national funded My Options service,” the HSE said.
