A radiographer at Tallaght Hospital was dismissed after a complaint about inappropriate conduct during an X-ray on a teenage patient. A CORU inquiry found him guilty of professional misconduct, leading to conditions on his registration.
Maternity services at Portiuncula Hospital are under external review after a concerning number of neonatal complications, including cases of hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE) and stillbirths. The HSE has appointed an external management team to oversee improvements and ensure patient safety.
In a landmark decision, the High Court ruled against the HSE Standard Operating Procedure for Assessments of Needs (AON), stating that a comprehensive assessment, including a diagnosis, is essential for determining a child’s needs.
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The State Claims Agency has reviewed claims concluded between 2015 and 2019. Findings include:
• Failure to appropriately monitor fetal heart rates was a feature in over 50% of the cases reviewed.
• There was a failure to recognise or interpret abnormal CTG trace results in 60% of cases.
• 77% of cases related to injuries sustained pre- or during labour delivery were delayed.
• In 43 of 80 cases reviewed, labour-inducing methods have been involved.
• The use of Oxytocin to induce labour had been misused in 36% of cases.
In 2013, in the wake of the tragic death of Savita Halappanavar, HIQA published a report on the safety standards of HSE Maternity Services. The report noted “concerning deficits in how learning, particularly in the areas of maternity services, has been adopted and implemented following previous investigations and inquiries”.
In the same year, a systems analysis review was carried out following the death of five babies who had died at Portlaoise Hospital between 2006 and 2012. The death of baby Mark Molloy took place after there was a failure to interpret an abnormal CTG trace result appropriately and the inappropriate use of Syntocinon.
The advocacy group Safer Births Ireland have expressed disappointment in the report’s findings, noting the previous reviews carried out in 2013: “After all the reports and recommendations from Portlaoise and Savita, it is shocking the same issues keep popping up. Given these and other issues have been playing a part in baby deaths and injuries for years, the State Claims Agency review is alarming.
The CAS report highlights the need for the in-depth inquiry we and other maternity service reform advocates have called for since 2023.” At the end of 2023, the state’s outstanding liabilities regarding catastrophic clinical injury claims stood at just over €3 billion.
Maternity services at Portiuncula Hospital are under external review after a concerning number of neonatal complications, including cases of hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE) and stillbirths. The HSE has appointed an external management team to oversee improvements and ensure patient safety.
In a landmark decision, the High Court ruled against the HSE Standard Operating Procedure for Assessments of Needs (AON), stating that a comprehensive assessment, including a diagnosis, is essential for determining a child’s needs.
Dianne Willmore, who passed from mesothelioma in 2009, won a landmark £240,000 case, holding Knowsley Borough Council liable for her asbestos exposure during school. Her case prompted legal and financial ramifications for local authorities nationwide, leading to increased awareness and changes in asbestos-related negligence proceedings.
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