Cavan General Hospital, where a baby died during childbirth on Tuesday, is still investigating three earlier infant deaths that occurred up to three years ago.
Separately, a consultant obstetrician at the hospital has been on administrative leave since last year, the HSE confirmed.
Despite four infant deaths in 30 months and concerns raised about the slow progress of investigations, Minister for Health Leo Varadkar said a review of all deaths at the unit was not warranted "at this stage".
His predecessor, James Reilly, last year said he would instruct Hiqa, the Health Information and Quality Authority, to review maternity services at the hospital. Dr Reilly yesterday released a letter he sent to Hiqa in May 2014 asking the watchdog to "prioritise the monitoring" of the unit.
Hiqa said this fell short of a formal order to carry out an investigation, as happened when it was instructed to investigate Portlaoise hospital. A spokesman said it aimed to complete its monitoring of Cavan by the end of the year.
However, Hiqa has yet to be provided with copies of HSE reviews of infant deaths that occurred in Cavan hospital in 2012 and 2014 (two) because these have not been completed. They are being carried out by experts from other parts of the health system and from the UK.
Recommendations
Local TD and Sinn Féin health spokesman Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin said there was real concern in Cavan/Monaghan about the lack of a published report or recommendations into these deaths.
“We do not yet have the full facts. We have no findings. We have no recommendations,” he said.
“The Minister must ensure that these cases are addressed as a priority and that the promised reports into previous incidents are published and the recommendations implemented.”
The hospital said it would not comment further on the review cases or on the latest death “to ensure we maintain patients’ confidentiality at all times”. It extended its sympathy to the family of the infant who died during an emergency Caesarean this week.
Immediate action
The clinical director for women and children's services at Cavan hospital, Dr Alan Finan, met the father of the baby for a second time yesterday.
“The management team have taken immediate action to review and investigate the incident in line with HSE policy,” Dr Finan said.
“All report recommendations arising from the review process will be implemented and any initial concerns identified have been immediately addressed prior to any investigation.”
The hospital said it was satisfied the safety standards of the maternity service were high and compared well to others in the State.
It said Cavan’s corrected perinatal mortality figures for 2011, 2012 and 2013 were 1.5, 3.1 and 3.1 per 1,000 births, compared to a national average of 4.1.
The Irish Times asked the HSE how many serious adverse events occurred in the hospital's maternity unit over the past three years, but this question has not been answered.
Speaking during a visit to Portlaoise hospital, Mr Varadkar said a review of all infant deaths in Cavan was not yet warranted.
“This appears to be a baby death during a Caesarean section, which is very uncommon, and that’s why an individualised investigation will be required.”
