INVESTIGATION INTO BABY DEATHS AND COMPROMISE IN PORTIUNCULA HOSPITAL: DO REVIEWS MAKE A DIFFERENCE?

PRESS RELEASE FROM AIMS IRELAND

AIMS Ireland sends its support to the families affected by what appears to be an excess number of hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE) incidents at Portiuncula Hospital Galway in the last year. In addition, we also send our deepest condolences to the two families who experienced stillbirths at the hospital in 2024/5. Aims Ireland also wishes to acknowledge the distress faced by staff when adverse situations arise.

We welcome the initiation of external reviews by the HSE, as hopefully this will bring greater transparency to what occurred and enable greater learning for health care professionals and also greater confidence in those attending the unit.

The appointment of a “highly experienced management team” to oversee maternity services begs questions for the public in general and in particular for those who have used or who are using the services of the maternity unit at the hospital, as to what the experience and failings of the previous team were, how they were appointed and why we had to wait for babies to die and be severely injured before their practices were reviewed and audited.

Speaking today, AIMS Ireland Chair Krysia Lynch said “It was already known as far back as 2015 that there were 18 cases that gave rise to concern, with a further eight cases reviewed between 2019 and 2023. It is alarming that these reviews did not prevent a further seven cases in 2024 – 2025. Reviews are meaningless unless lessons are learnt and improvements implemented.”

Lynch continued “Questions as to the HSE review process are as pertinent as to the clinical practice within the hospital. We would urge the Minister to ensure the results of this review are made public and recommendations swiftly implemented. Right now this feels like Portlaoise (2014), all over again; it feels like we have learned nothing.”

AIMS notes that the previous reviews indicated that when labours were “progressing normally” the level of care “appeared to be of a high standard”.

Portiuncula hospital has a high medical intervention rate, and often the over-use of syntocinin and other inductive drugs and processes can be implicated in babies that undergo distress in labour and are then born deprived of oxygen.

AIMS Chair Krysia Lynch continued,”Forcing labours and births to be more medicalised, with for example medical induction of labour, automatically puts labours out of the normal risk category, places further stresses on mothers and babies and should be avoided unless absolutely necessary.”

In January 2024 the induction rate for first time mothers in Portiuncula hospital was 74.4%, in the same time period the rate in the Rotunda was 47.4%, and the rate in CUMH 43.8%. The rates for 2024 in Portiuncula were consistently higher than other maternity units throughout 2024. We would like the Minister to ensure that these rates for all maternity units are regularly audited to prevent these tragedies in the future.

For more information contact secretary@aimsireland.com or Krysia Lynch on 0877543751