Critical developmental health screening programmes for newborn babies were suspended in March 2020 and the public health nurses who carry out this vital work were redeployed to “Covid-19 work”.
This redeployment by the Health Service Executive (HSE) at a time when mother and baby is isolated and may require vital post-natal visits in person is a concern.
The “number of newborn babies visited by a public health nurse within 48 hours of discharge from maternity services” fell from 44,562 in 2019 to 33,752 in 2020.
The “number of babies seen at the public health nurse First Visit” in 2019 stood at 43,618. But in 2020, this number fell to 36,839.
Between January and March this year, just 600 babies were seen.
The “number of babies seen at the public health nurse 3-month assessment” plummeted from 42,009 in 2019 to 25,905 in 2020 reports the Irish Examiner.
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