Mothers and babies face 'unsafe' conditions at Limerick maternity hospital

INMO protest on Tuesday is highlighting that many of the hospital's rosters are staffed at '50% below safe levels'

In April, Hiqa warned that actions taken to reduce the risk from nursing or midwifery shortages were causing staffing challenges in other areas. Picture: iStock

Mothers and babies face "unsafe conditions" at Limerick maternity hospital, with many section rosters staffed “at 50% below safe levels”, according to nurses and midwives protesting staff shortages today, Tuesday.

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) linked the situation to the impact of the HSE’s national policy on staffing numbers, called the pay and numbers strategy. 

Since the strategy was installed in late 2023, all health unions have raised concerns about its impact.

This “cut approximately 30 to 35 frontline nursing and midwifery posts at University Maternity Hospital Limerick, imposing new staff ceilings, recruitment limits, and pay spend caps,” the INMO said.

It described the impact as “catastrophic”, saying the hospital was already under significant pressure before then. 

“Many areas of the hospital are now running rosters at 50% below safe levels,” it said.

“The neonatal unit is beyond safe capacity while awaiting HSE approval for service expansion and the Labour Ward has daily deficits of midwives on duty.” 

In addition, it pointed to breaches in an agreement from 2015 before the Workplace Relations Commission. This had set out minimum staffing levels.

The union highlighted findings from an inspection by Hiqa (Health Information and Quality Authority). 

Hiqa highlighted staff shortfalls 

In April, Hiqa identified midwifery and nursing staff shortfalls in the delivery suite and the neonatal unit in a report about an October 2025 inspection.

It said measures like asking staff to do overtime or using agency staff “were not sustainable in the long term”.

The regulator warned actions taken to reduce the risk from nursing or midwifery shortages were causing staffing challenges in other areas.

Inspectors also found all funded posts for medical consultants and non-consultant hospital doctors were filled.

The INMO said on Monday its concerns were raised with management. It said: 

Our members are now carrying insurmountable workloads to try to maintain safe clinical care for all mothers and babies. 

It predicted an offer of 10 additional posts will not have much impact. 

“Nurses and midwives at the hospital are working in extremely unsafe conditions; they are not just concerned for their own safety but that of mothers and babies,” it said.

INMO assistant director of industrial relations for the Midwest, Mary Fogarty, said the protest is about “the failures of the HSE” to act on crisis points.

She called for the 2015 agreement to be upheld, funding to expand staffing in the neonatal unit and safe staffing levels across the hospital.

She also called for the hospital to be protected from the pay and numbers strategy.

The union also said the 1pm lunchtime protest will not disrupt the services or block entrances to the hospital. 

HSE Midwest was approached for comment.

• Niamh Griffin, Health Corresdpondent