Foetal anomaly scan proposal to include Cavan General
A proposal by the HSE to develop a Regional Maternal Foetal Medicine service within the RCSI Hospital Group will include maternity services at Cavan General Hospital. It comes as, in the wake of revelations in a recent inquest into the death of a baby at the hospital following childbirth in 2014, both the Minister and the Department have been assured there are “no ongoing patient safety concerns” at the local health facility.
In spite of repeated efforts being made, Cavan General Hospital (CGH) has been unsuccessful to date in recruiting the necessary specialists required to provide a routine 20 week anomaly scanning service.
Such a service was highlighted as a potential key service at the hospital during evidence given at baby Conor James Whelan’s inquest last month, which ended with a verdict of death by medical misadventure.
Baby Conor of Drumora, Ballyjamesduff was delivered by emergency section on May 13, 2014. He died just 17 and a half hours later on May 14 'due to an adverse outcome’.
His death is one of five babies at the hospital since late 2012, the circumstances of which are under investigation, and the second in as many weeks in April-May 2014.
Of the recommendations made, one was that a consultant radiologist specialising in obstetric medicine be appointed urgently.
In a response to a query tabled by Fianna Fail Cavan-Monaghan Deputy Brendan Smith, the HSE now claim that provision of routine foetal anomaly scanning has been a key target locally for over three years.
Faced with challenges in recruitment, the HSE have said there is a proposal currently for the development of a Regional Maternal Foetal Medicine service for the RCSI Hospital Group incorporating Cavan General Hospital with a hub and spoke model of service provision.
“It is expected that this model will have greater recruitment success. This model will enable provision of routine 20-week foetal anomaly scanning for all women attending Cavan General Hospital,” the HSE say.
Meanwhile, Minister for Health Simon Harris extended his sincere sympathies to baby Conor’s parents, Siobhan and Andrew, and their daughters, on their “very sad loss”.
Deputy Smith welcomed the proposal, he urging to have this necessary service put in place at the earliest possible date.
This follows on from the approval of additional personnel over the past few months for the Maternity Unit, to include Clinical Midwifery Managers, Clinical Specialist in Bereavement, Staff midwives and Clinical Midwife Management posts.
The Department meanwhile said it remains in “regular contact with the HSE and is assured that there are no ongoing patient safety concerns regarding the maternity services at Cavan General Hospital and that all HSE incident management policies are being followed.”