A discharge summary (DS) is the main mode of communication between secondary / tertiary care and primary / community care. Low quality DS can lead to poor commu- nication, and break the continuity of care in the community. The development of a Minimum Dataset (MDS) for postnatal discharge summaries (PDS) using a mixed methodology with sequential explanatory design is reported. A MDS development process is used to harmonise datasets in a newly developed PDS. Informed by literature, an analysis of the PDS collected from 15 maternity hospitals in Ireland, together with input from 50 submissions from public health nurses (PHNs), general practitioners (GPs), obstetricians, and midwives, identify the required datasets for the PDS. Dataset definitions are identified using national and international data dictionaries. SNOMED- CT standard is used for terminology. As well as supporting mother and baby care, the developed PDS has the potential to support strategic planning by providing information on maternity health indicators, maternity care outcome measures, national and perinatal mortality and morbidity statistics and national and international data comparisons.