The deaths of four babies in Northern Ireland hospitals following an outbreak of a bacterial infection might have been avoided if better practices were in place, a Stormont committee has heard.
An independent review examined the death of a newborn baby at Altnagelvin Hospital in Derry in December and three more babies at the Royal Jubilee Maternity Unit in Belfast in January after pseudomonas infections which were linked to water taps.
Prof Pat Troop, author of a report into the deaths, found that the bacteria spread from contaminated taps to the children when babies were washed during nappy changes or when tap water was used to defrost breast milk.
Stormont Health Committee members asked where blame for failures lay after the report also questioned the level of communication between health professionals and revealed two health trusts only heard of the death in Derry through the media.
