Maternity units don't have to declare hundreds of stillbirths and newborn baby deaths every year

The HSE has been repeatedly asked to explain why only the deaths of babies over a certain weight are declared on MPSSs and not lighter babies, but the agency has declined to explain why. File picture: Denis Scannell

Hundreds of stillbirths and newborn baby deaths are being left out of maternity safety declarations every year by maternity units, the Irish Examiner has learned.

This is because only the deaths of babies weighing over 2.5kg (5.5lbs) are declared on HSE monthly Maternity Patient Safety Statements (MPSS), while any baby lighter than that isn't declared at all.