The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation has expressed serious concern regarding the future of the Domino scheme in Cork University Maternity Hospital.
The decision to curtail the Domino service due to staffing shortages in the labour ward in CUMH is a direct consequence of restrictions on the filling of vacant clinical posts across HSE South/South West.
CUMH does not have the ability to replace vacant posts without approval from the HSE nationally, and these approvals are taking far too long.
Since June 2026, no promotional posts have been approved. As a direct consequence, there are now over 80 nursing and midwifery vacancies in CUMH.
It is not just the Domino scheme that is at risk. The home birth service is also at risk. This has a serious knock-on impact on women’s choices around birth.
The service provided by INMO members through the Domino scheme is invaluable. The INMO is calling on the HSE and Government to end the current embargo on recruitment in CUMH.
Putting the provision of midwifery-led community care in a catchment area as large as Cork at risk, at a time when maternal mental health is rightly receiving increased attention, is an incredibly short-sighted move.
The provision of this service, and the wellbeing of women and their babies, must not be curtailed due to a stand-off between local HSE management and national HSE structures.