David Nevin 23rd September 2026
There’s now just one outstanding maternity review at Portiuncula Hospital left to be completed.
Eleven external reviews into the care provided to women and their babies are now fully complete, and reports have been shared with affected families, a meeting of the HSE Health Forum West heard last night.
These reviews were carried out following an abnormally high number of deaths and complications in high-risk pregnancy cases in recent years.
Last night’s meeting heard the outstanding review is undergoing the final stage under the HSE Incident Management Framework, and the overall process is near completion.
An external management team remains in place at Portiuncula and their term has been extended until all of the external reviews are fully completed.
The HSE says overall, the 78 recommendations made to date across the completed reviews are now 98 percent implemented.
It adds that continued evidence of the sustainability of improvements as a result has been observed through audit, performance review and outcomes.
With regards the transfer of high-risk pregnancy cases from Portiuncula to UHG in Galway City, that situation is unlikely to change anytime soon.
The HSE says pathways established to support transfers are now embedding, and monthly cross-site meetings are being re-established to strengthen those pathways and support what it describes as “seamless transitions of care”.
Assessing how many women are impacted, or what hospital they end up at for high-risk care is difficult, the HSE says, as many women classified as higher risk pregnancy are no longer being referred to Portiuncula by their GP.
But the HSE is predicting that the birth rate at Portiuncula Hospital will drop by 10 to 15 percent by the end of this year, compared to 2025.
Local campaigners and politicians argue the situation amounts to a downgrade of the hospital and an erosion of rural healthcare provision – something the HSE has strenuously denied, instead pointing to the health and safety of expectant mothers and their babies.
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