Hospital should have delivered Bronagh

HEALTH Minister Micheál Martin last night rejected attempts by the North Eastern Health Board to defend its treatment of premature baby Bronagh Livingstone after an independent report said the wrong decisions were taken prior to her death.

The report, compiled by three inspectors appointed by Minister Martin, concluded the infant’s birth was “imminent” when her mother, Ms Denise Livingstone, arrived at Monaghan General Hospital in the early hours of Wednesday morning last week.

It said no attempt should have been made to transfer her to Cavan General Hospital 25 miles away because adequate staff and equipment were available locally to provide initial care for her and her newborn child.

The findings are in stark contrast to the report submitted by the health board, also published last night, which said staff were right to divert Ms Livingstone to Cavan and that the care and attention provided to mother and child was of a high standard.

The health board report acknowledged the seriousness of Ms Livingstone’s condition might not have been fully appreciated and said it might have been better had a midwife accompanied her on the ambulance. However, it stressed there was no requirement in its emergency medicine protocols to have a midwife on board and stressed the decision to transfer Ms Livingstone to the specialist maternity unit in Cavan was correct, despite her advanced stage of labour and the fact that her baby was born en route.

Minister Martin said he agreed with the analysis of the independent report. He believed baby Bronagh should have been delivered at Monaghan Hospital and he deeply regretted the events surrounding her birth and death. He announced the appointment of a management consultant to work with the North Eastern Health Board in implementing the recommendations of the independent report which include the stipulations that proper management structures and decision-making procedures be put in place and that “key appointments” be urgently made where necessary.

He also ordered a full review by all health boards of emergency protocols at hospitals under their control in line with the report’s recommendations.

Minister Martin offered his sympathies to the Livingstone family in a personal letter of condolence but, as he ended a press conference, Mr Jimmy Livingstone, grandfather of Bronagh, had only received half of the two reports via a fax machine in his local supermarket in Emyvale.