Hiqa warning over safety of Irish maternity service

Ireland’s health watchdog has warned it cannot stand over claims the country’s maternity service is safe after Savita Halappanavar’s death.

The Health Information Quality Authority (Hiqa) took the stance after the publication of its extensive 257-page investigation into the tragedy and the wider system.

The report has again highlighted serious errors in how Ms Halappanavar, 31, was treated in Oct 2012, stating she failed to receive “even the most basic elements of patient care”.

However, after examining the national system, it has, for the first time in the scandal, raised concern over care of pregnant women at maternity services nationwide.

In response to Ms Halappanavar’s death, Hiqa sought safety files from Ireland’s 19 maternity hospitals and units. The files were meant to clarify whether measures called for after the 2007 death of Tania McCabe and her infant son, Zach, had been implemented.

However, just five out of 19 hospitals could show Hiqa such steps were taken, with six failing to provide any information on the matter.

As a result, Hiqa said women are still at risk, as there is no nationally agreed definition of maternal sepsis, inconsistent recording of it, and no centralised approach to reporting maternal morbidity and mortality.

Hiqa said this means that it cannot stand over claims that Ireland’s maternity service is safe for patients.

* Full report: exa.mn/hiqa