HSE confirms another baby death at Midlands hospital

Another baby has died at a Midlands hospital where the maternity service was recently condemned as neither safe nor sustainable.

The HSE confirmed last night the newborn died last Saturday at the Midland Regional Hospital, Portlaoise.

An autopsy was under way yesterday at the request of the coroner. The HSE said the hospital was following its incident management policy following the tragedy. A spokesperson for the HSE extended condolences to the family.

Maternity services at the hospital were the subject of severe criticism in a recent Department of Health report which examined the circumstances surrounding the deaths of four babies at the unit between 2006 and 2012.

In the wake of its publication, the department’s chief medical officer and author of the report, Tony Holohan, confirmed that the death of a fifth baby in Portlaoise was being investigated.

The weekend tragedy brings the number of deaths to six.

Health watchdog Hiqa has already been tasked with carrying out an investigation into the services provided by the HSE at Portlaoise. The investigation will include an assessment of the hospital’s patient safety culture. Last night a spokesman for Hiqa said he expected the probe’s terms of reference to be published shortly.

The Holohan report made damning findings in relation to the deaths of Katelyn Keenan, Joshua Keyes-Cornally, Mark Molloy, and Nathan Molyneaux at Portlaoise.

It found a variety of errors in care leading up to the babies’ deaths including failure to recognise foetal distress.

Following the publication, the HSE installed a new interim management system at Portlaoise, with a view to eventually bringing the hospital under the governance of the Coombe Maternity Hospital in Dublin.