Mothers to call for national inquiry into baby deaths 

More than 20 bereaved mothers will join advocates for better maternity services in calling for a national inquiry.

A group of bereaved mothers will join advocates for better maternity services in calling for a national inquiry into the deaths and injuries suffered by newborns in maternity units.

More than 20 mothers are so far behind the call for an inquiry, which will be made formally at a press conference near the Dáil in the coming weeks.

A minute’s silence in memory of babies and mothers who have died in Irish maternity units over the past number of decades will also be held.

The decision to make the call comes as maternity services advocates say their requests for a more low key and faster “look back” review of potentially avoidable baby deaths “went nowhere”.

Those requests followed reports before Christmas in the Irish Examiner that there had been at least 38 potentially avoidable baby deaths in Irish maternity units since 2013, although that figure has since risen to 41.

The Irish Examiner understands that if the State does not hold an inquiry, organisers are planning to hold silent vigils by mothers who have lost babies at a variety of locations, including the entrance to the Dáil, the Taoiseach’s Office, and the Department of Health.

Safer Births Ireland co-founder Lisa Duffy, whose son Luke died in Portlaoise Hospital in 2018, said: “Enough is enough. Other families who suffered tragedies before me and my husband Mel were promised the earth by a selection of health ministers.

“There were reviews, investigations, and there was even a national maternity strategy and that change was all driven by other mothers, like Roisin Molloy, who lost a baby in Portlaoise Hospital.

But despite this, mothers and babies are still dying, and babies are still being injured."

Claire Cullen, whose son Aaron died in 2016 after being born at Portlaoise, said: “We politely asked for a look back over 41 avoidable baby deaths and we got nowhere.

"We know how our babies died but we don't know why.

“We don't know why there is a consultant available in one hospital and not in another.

"Among lots of other things we don't know, we also don't know why some hospitals stick to national clinical guidelines, and others don’t.

"This isn't just about some nurses and doctors not doing their jobs properly, this is also about health service managers not doing their job and this is also about poorly funded maternity services."

The HSE, the Department of Health, and Health Minister Stephen Donnelly were asked by the Irish Examiner if they would conduct a look back over avoidable baby deaths since 2013.

While processes in place to look at serious incidents in maternity units were outlined in their replies, there was no commitment to do a look back.