Portiuncula maternity review due in summer

The review of the maternity services at Portiuncula Hospital in Ballinasloe, Co Laois, will start in the coming weeks and is expected to take up to five months.

The terms of reference were announced yesterday with the independent review team to be chaired by Professor James Walker, professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Leeds.

The full review follows a preliminary review into the care of seven women who had adverse perinatal events between February and November 2014, and which was undertaken last December, with the results reported on January 19 last.