I would firstly wish to express my deepest sympathy to the families of the four babies who died at Cavan General Hospital during the period 2012-2015. Each of these cases is the subject of a review. I would like to stress the importance of patient confidentiality and sensitivity to the families’ needs.
One review has been completed and the report handed over to the family, however they indicated that they did not wish to see the report published. Two of the reports are at an advanced stage, while the fourth review has commenced recently.
It is important to note that the results of all reviews will be conveyed to the families first and their right to confidentiality will be maintained throughout the review process and after report production. The completion of these reviews is also important in order that any learning is embedded in our maternity services as swiftly as possible.
I would like to assure the Deputy that the safety and quality of maternity services is a priority for the Department. Since December 2015, each maternity hospital has been publishing a monthly Maternity Patient Safety Statement as recommended by the Chief Medical Officer's Portlaoise Perinatal Report of 2014. The recent publication of Ireland’s first Maternity Strategy demonstrates a new and enhanced focus on maternity care at both policy and service delivery level. It provides a roadmap for how we can improve maternity and neonatal care in the years ahead ensuring that it is safe, standardised and of high quality. This creates significant opportunity to build and develop the services we provide for women and babies over the next ten years. My Department is working with the HSE to ensure its full implementation.
