Earlier this month, a woman sadly died after giving birth at her home. Same incident has now prompted the UL Hospital Group to suspend immediately, the home-birth service across the Mid-West region, latter serving Co. Limerick, Co. Clare, and North Co. Tipperary.
We understand this tragedy occurred on June 5th last, after the woman gave birth to a healthy baby boy.
An investigation is now under way and the region’s home-birth service has been immediately suspended, pending the final outcome of that investigation.
An external group of experts, including those with midwifery and obstetric qualifications, are being assembled to conduct an overall review; same examining aspects of patient safety, clinical governance, and any other issues arising.
This decision to suspend the home-birth service now means that any women currently registered to have a home-birth in the Mid-West region, can no longer receive support or proceed with their original plans.
Up to this period, the HSE had offered a free national home-birth service across Ireland, staffed by community midwives, in collaboration with all public hospitals.
Following two years of a Covid-19 pandemic, some 650 women across Ireland had chosen to give birth at their place of residence, following maternity hospitals being forced to close to visitors, in the interests of health and safety.
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