Hospital probe after death of two newborns in Galway hospital

Maternity services at a Galway hospital have become the latest to be probed following the deaths of two babies and oxygen deprivation to five others.

In a statement late last night, Portiuncula Hospital in Ballinasloe, which is part of the Saolta University Health Care Group, said: “The review of the care delivered to seven babies who experienced negative perinatal outcomes found that there were two infant mortalities and a further five babies had evidence of oxygen deprivation [hypoxia] during delivery.”

It said apparent deficiencies in care were identified “which included interpretation and review of CTG tracings; administration of drugs to accelerate labour; and instrumental delivery”.