Parents of babies who died in hospital to petition Taoiseach for commission of investigation

Bereaved parents of babies who died in hospital plan to petition the Taoiseach next month for the establishment of a commission of investigation into the deaths.

Safer Births Ireland claims more than 40 baby deaths in hospitals over the past decade require urgent review.

Founded by women whose babies died during labour at Portlaoise hospital, the group is organising a vigil at Leinster House on March 5th.

Afterwards, bereaved parents plan to walk to the office of Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, where a letter calling for a national commission of investigation will be handed in.

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The group initially raised concerns about the deaths of four babies at Portlaoise since 2012. The hospital maternity unit has previously been the focus of controversy over baby deaths, including a critical report by former chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan in 2014.

A subsequent review of coroners’ records and media report has identified 42 inquests into baby deaths where a medical misadventure of narrative verdict was returned, according to Safe Birth Ireland co-founder Lisa Duffy.

Ms Duffy’s baby son Luke was stillborn in Portlaoise hospital in October 2018. An inquest four years later returned a verdict of medical misadventure.

[ Routine screening for pregnancy complication ‘could prevent 25 baby deaths a year’, Minister told ]

“We feel history is repeating itself, in that lessons are not being learned from the Portlaoise report,” she said. “Promises were made at the time to improve services, but they were not fulfilled.”

A “proportion” of the parents involved in these inquests have been contacted, and some are supportive of the initiative, she said. However, others are reluctant to go public while their legal cases are ongoing.

The group is also campaigning for the full introduction of open disclosure provisions and legislation to hold health service managers accountable for the decisions they make.

More than a million perinatal deaths occur worldwide each year; in 2020, 357 were recorded in Ireland out of 57,000 births. At the end of 2022, there were 914 active maternity care claims with the State Claims Agency, accounting for 24 per cent of all claims and 63 per cent by total outstanding liability, Ms Duffy pointed out.

The parents involved in the campaign plan to meet officials from the HSE’s national infants and women’s health programme after the vigil has taken place.

[ Infant mortality down almost 60% as number of cot deaths reduce ]

In the UK, parents of babies who have died or been harmed as a result of poor care in the national health service have formed the Maternity Safety Alliance to demand a public inquiry into failings in maternity units.

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