Hour-long delays to emergency surgery

Five women who suffered major obstetric haemorrhage endured delays ranging from 10-100 minutes accessing theatre, according to a national audit examining the incidence of life-threatening complications in maternity units.

The finding, contained in the 2012/2013 annual report Severe Maternal Morbidity (SMM) in Ireland, comes at a time when maternity services are under the spotlight following a number of controversial baby deaths in the Midlands Regional Hospital, Portlaoise, and Cavan General Hospital.

Earlier this week, the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation said there were ongoing issues accessing a second theatre out-of-hours in Cavan, which caters for both surgical and obstetric emergencies.