Community group set up to lobby for Portiuncula maternity services

A new community group has been established to campaign for the preservation of maternity services at Portiuncula Hospital in Ballinasloe.

The Portiuncula Maternity Alliance was set up following the move by the HSE, on foot of external reviews into the care provided to five women and their babies at the hospital, to transfer the care of high-risk pregnancies elsewhere.

It comprises patient advocates, community figures, mothers, and political figures.

The publication of the review report, and subsequent HSE decision, have prompted fears that the maternity service in Portiuncula could be downgraded or removed altogether.

The group has been promoting an online petition, which calls for the developmpent of a sustainable, adequately resourced plan for maternity services at Portiuncula Hospital. It also urges that plans to divert high-risk patients from Portiuncula Hospital be halted, and calls for a review of the management of maternity services across the hospital group.

It currently has almost 3,000 signatures.

The group said: “We are deeply concerned about the proposed changes to maternity services at Portiuncula Hospital. We believe that the current plans, which involve diverting high-risk patients to other facilities, pose a significant threat to the health and well-being of mothers and babies in the region. This petition calls for the immediate reconsideration of these plans and the preservation of comprehensive maternity services at Portiuncula Hospital.”

A previous report into maternity services at the hospital was published in 2018.

The petition added: “Recent developments suggest a pattern of failures that have led to the current situation. We demand a thorough investigation into the decision-making processes that have resulted in these proposed changes.”

It also recognised the hard work and dedication of the staff at Portiuncula Hospital, and said it stands in solidarity with the families affected by adverse outcomes and was committed to working towards improving maternity services.

In an online statement recently, Roscommon Galway Fianna Fáil TD and GP Martin Daly said he had “very considerable concerns” on a number of aspects of the evolving situation.

He said his thoughts were primarily with the 12 women and their babies whose cases were reviewed.

“I also want to express my concern for the women who are currently receiving or planning to receive maternity care at Portiuncula University Hospital. I’ve spoken to a number of them, and I understand the anxiety this situation has created.”

He said it was “deeply disappointing” that many of the 34 recommendations made in the report on the initial five cases echo what was already outlined in the Walker Report in 2018.

“It is unacceptable that known issues relating to infrastructure, staffing, clinical cover, and governance have not been adequately addressed in the years since.”

He called for adequate, equitable, and permanent consultant staffing, including out of hours cover, a clearly defined, accountable clinical governance structure linking Portiuncula and Galway, consistent, high quality training for obstetric and neonatal emergencies, the immediate development of an emergency obstetric theatre on the labour ward and a commitment to maintaining Portiuncula as a safe, accessible, and sustainable maternity service.”

The TD said he has concerns that the transfer of high risk pregnancies from Portiuncula would reduce deliveris to a level that could render it unviable. He said he urged the Minister for Health and the HSE to review the configuration of maternity services across the Saolta Hospital Group and to ensure that the same standards and expectations apply across all sites, including Portiuncula.

He also called for a national review of maternity services, especially the role smaller units play, and the provision of resources to those units to maintain a high quality, accessible and safe service.