Latest individual reviews on maternity care in Portiuncula 'concerning and disappointing' - Kerrane
Portiuncula Hospital.
Sinn Féin TD for Roscommon/Galway Claire Kerrane has described the issues raised in the latest reviews into maternity care, in the case of five reviews now completed at Portiuncula University Hospital, as "concerning and disappointing".
Speaking following a meeting with HSE management this afternoon, Kerrane said:
"The fact that we are seeing some of the same issues that were raised in the external report back in 2018 being raised again in 2025 is hugely concerning and disappointing.
"The details in these reports will, in the first instance, cause concern to expectant mothers and families who are due to have their baby at Portiuncula.
“This is not the first report into cases of maternity care at Portiuncula. In fact, this latest review is the tenth. There are five reviews complete of twelve cases being reviewed.
“An external report back in 2018 found serious failings in care, including inadequate staffing, communication issues and insufficient training. These issues were to be dealt with. The truth is issues, especially around communication, are still there.
"There has been an ongoing practice in place where pregnancies deemed as high risk have been transferred to University Hospital Galway. The definition of high risk is now going to be expanded and this will see more mothers having their maternity care transferred elsewhere, and not just to University Hospital Galway but also to the midlands. I was advised that currently 20-30 cases a month are being transferred out of Portiuncula. This will increase to an additional 200-300 births being transferred out of Portiuncula.
“I am concerned for mothers now who will have to travel further to have their babies and I am mindful too as to how overstretched University Hospital Galway already is. That means we need a plan urgently for every expectant Mother, we need to give them reassurance and clarity in relation to their maternity care.
“We need to see an urgent roadmap to the full restoration of maternity services at Portiuncula.
"I have also written to the Minister for Health asking again for a full independent external review of maternity services, rather than just looking at individual cases. We need that, of course but we need a wider examination of these services also,” said the TD.
