{"id":634153,"date":"2026-09-24T04:36:15","date_gmt":"2026-09-24T04:36:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/634153\/"},"modified":"2026-09-24T04:36:15","modified_gmt":"2026-09-24T04:36:15","slug":"just-one-maternity-review-outstanding-at-portiuncula-hospital","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/634153\/","title":{"rendered":"Just one maternity review outstanding at Portiuncula Hospital"},"content":{"rendered":"

David Nevin<\/a> 23rd September 2026<\/p>\n

There’s now just one outstanding maternity review at Portiuncula Hospital left to be completed.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

These reviews were carried out following an abnormally high number of deaths and complications in high-risk pregnancy cases in recent years.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

An external management team remains in place at Portiuncula and their term has been extended until all of the external reviews are fully completed.<\/p>\n

The HSE says overall, the 78 recommendations made to date across the completed reviews are now 98 percent implemented.<\/p>\n

It adds that continued evidence of the sustainability of improvements as a result has been observed through audit, performance review and outcomes.<\/p>\n

With regards the transfer of high-risk pregnancy cases from Portiuncula to UHG in Galway City, that situation is unlikely to change anytime soon.<\/p>\n

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”.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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