Second National Maternity Experience Survey reveals progress in maternity care but highlights gaps in communication and postnatal support

The second National Maternity Experience Survey reports strong levels of dignity, respect and trust in maternity services, alongside improvements since 2020. However, communication gaps, postnatal feeding support and GP follow-up remain key areas for improvement.

10 December 2025: The results of the second National Maternity Experience Survey have been published, capturing the views of women who gave birth in Ireland’s 19 maternity hospitals and units, and at home, during February and March 2025. This follows the first survey of its kind delivered by the National Care Experience Programme in 2020, with the experiences shared by women who gave birth in 2025 offering clear insight into the improvements implemented since the initial survey.

Compared to 2020, the 2025 survey showed progress in seven areas, particularly in involvement in care decisions, opportunities to ask questions, as well as emotional support from healthcare professionals when babies were in the neonatal unit. Four of the areas that saw more positive scores this year were identified as priorities for improvement in 2020, showing that maternity services listened to what women said in the 2020 survey and took targeted actions to improve care. Nevertheless, some areas saw a decline from the 2020 survey, including information on physical changes and nutrition during pregnancy, support with feeding the baby at home and communication with GPs after birth.