Hospital unit where babies died still short of key staff

The maternity unit at Cavan General Hospital where a cluster of baby deaths is under investigation still remains understaffed and unable to carry out foetal anomaly scans.

A review ordered by the HSE also found strains in working relationships between consultant obstetricians and midwives, over- dependence on locums and a few key management personnel, and poor morale affecting medical judgement.

The review was carried out by a former senior executive with the NHS in Britain, David Flory, and followed concerns over the deaths of four babies in a two-and-a- half-year period since 2012.