Public Hospital Based Care

Most women are entitled to free maternity care as a public patient.

Antenatal care is provided in the hospital’s outpatients department. The clinics are usually held in the afternoon, except for the first booking visit and also some specialist clinics, which may be held in the morning or afternoon.

There are medically-led clinics which are suitable for women with a known medical condition or with a history of a previous complicated pregnancy or birth. Consultant obstetricians work in teams (A – D) and other doctors are assigned to a team of consultants. All antenatal booking visits on a given day are allocated to a team and all other antenatal appointments are scheduled with the same team. If antenatal admission is required, you will be under the care of your own team.

Care and management during labour and birth is provided by the midwives in the delivery suite with input from the medical team on duty. Induction or caesarean section is scheduled according to clinical need and care is overseen by the team on duty on the day. Care in the postnatal ward is provided by the midwives and the medical team as necessary. Most women go to their GP for their postnatal check-up at six weeks.

There are also midwife led antenatal clinics for healthy pregnant women held each afternoon Monday to Thursday in the outpatients department. If there are any complications during the pregnancy, your care will be overseen by the medical team.

 

If you wish to make an appointment for any of the public outpatient clinics or require any further information please phone:

Outpatients department appointments: 01 873 0596 or 873 0632