Failures at PUH in four cases where the baby died

A long-delayed report into maternity services at Portiuncula University Hospital has identified multiple errors in a number of cases, some of which involving the deaths of babies.

A preliminary review was undertaken by the Saolta Group into the care provided to six women whose babies were referred from PUH for head cooling.

Another 12 cases relating to a number of different perinatal events at PUH dating from 2008 to 2014 were later added to the external review.

In the report published today, the Clinical Review Team state that of the 18 cases reviewed, serious errors in management occurred in ten cases that would have probably made a difference to the outcome for those babies.

Of the 18 cases reviewed, six involved cases where the baby had died.

In four of these cases there were failings in the care provided to those babies.

The Clinical Review Team also identified contributory factors and/or incidental findings in each of the 18 cases reviewed.

Commenting Dr Pat Nash, Group Chief Clinical Director Saolta University Health Care Group and the Review Commissioner said: “We are today publishing the report of the external independent clinical review team led by Professor James Walker.

“We have provided each of the families involved in the review with a copy of this report and earlier today Saolta and PUH management, together with Professor Walker met with the families involved.

“On behalf of the Saolta Group, I have again offered the families involved our deepest apologies for the distress and suffering they have endured.

“We know that this has been a deeply traumatic process for them which has been compounded by the length of time this complex review process took to complete.”

The report says that errors included delays in escalation of concerns to more senior decision makers, deficits in staff numbers across both medical and nursing, poor CTG (trace) interpretation, and concerns relating to the administration of oxytocin during labour.

The review report also raised concerns around the way many families were communicated with during or after their time in hospital.

It further highlighted historical issues relating the governance structures in place between the hospital and the group at that time.

Since the concerns were identified in late 2014, the Saolta Group and PUH say that they have put in place a significant number of measures to improve patient safety, all of which address the issues raised in the report published today.

Fianna Fáil’s Eugene Murphy says the government needs to address issues with flood insurance to make sure homes and businesses in areas where flood defences have been built are fully covered.

The Roscommon-Galway TD highlighted the issue following an announcement by government of a number Flood Risk Management Plans.

Deputy Murphy explained: “We have been waiting over 7 years for the publication of these Flood Risk Management Plans, and in that time hundreds of homes and businesses have been devastated by a series of weather events.  Minister Moran is committing €1bn to this ten year plan, which is welcome, however I have serious concerns about the delivery of these projects given the huge underspend on previous flood defence schemes.

“The government outlined a spend of €45m a year for flood defences between 2011-2017.  However, its running a €53m underspend across these projects – once again highlighting the huge disparity between the spin and the reality.

“Back in January 2016, €2m was allocated to a relocation scheme for homeowners who were severely impacted by the winter storms.  More than 2 years later and not one homeowner has benefitted from the scheme.

“Is it any wonder that I am reserving judgement on today’s announcement?

“One of the biggest issues facing home and business owners in flood risk areas is the fact that insurance companies are refusing to provide cover, even when flood defences have been built.  Unless this issue is addressed, there will be no comfort for those who have already been affected or those at risk of flooding.

“Fianna Fáil published the Flood Insurance Bill 2016, which extends insurance cover to homes and businesses in areas where flood defences have been built by the OPW.

“This Bill introduces a new provision which prevents insurance companies from discriminating against home and business owners in areas with the standard 1 in 100 year flood risk, as certified by the OPW.

“If the government is serious about protecting home and business owners it should support this Bill and ensure that it is enacted without delay.”

Fianna Fáil TD for Galway West Éamon Ó Cuív says he’s very disappointed at the very small allocation of places on the Rural Social Scheme for the west Connemara community and development company, FORUM Connemara.

Deputy Ó Cuív explained: “Recently 14 extra places were allocated to FORUM Connemara on the Rural Social Scheme, which brings the total amount of places on the scheme for the whole of the non-Gaeltacht part of Connemara, to only 36.

“We need access a lot more places on the Rural Social Scheme in west Connemara to cope with demand.  County Galway has the third highest number of farmers in receipt of Farm Assist in the country at 659, and every one of these is entitled to apply for a place on the RSS.  However, the places are simply not available.  In fact, there are not enough places by half.

“A large number of the farmers who receive Farm Assist live in the Connemara area and the allocation of places on the Rural Social Scheme should be much higher than 36.

“Additional places must be made available to FORUM Connemara, and I will be arguing that any places which have not been taken up by other companies should be transferred.

“Companies have been given until the 1st of September to take up their allocation.  This deadline needs to be adhered to and I am calling on the Minister for Employment Affairs to transfer any unfilled places to companies experiencing a higher demand.”

Independent Senator Mary Alice Higgins has said that a friend of hers had to go through electroconvulsive therapy because he was gay.

Senator Higgins, daughter of President Michael D., was speaking at a Seanad debate on a Bill to prohibit conversion therapies.

The Bill is strongly supported in the Seanad.

Senator Higgins said: “When I was a young person in Galway I had an older friend, in his 20s, who had gone through electroconvulsive therapy because he was gay.

“He had depression and it was framed around this.

“It was not framed as a conversion therapy but it effectively was. It was to try to imbue in him deep-seated trauma and guilt over his sexual orientation. It had significant repercussions for him in the years that followed.

“We found a community of support for him at a later point.

“That was my first time encountering a practice of this kind. It was not always framed exactly as conversion therapy but it was effectively operating in that way.”

Sinn Féin Senator Fintan Warfield, who introduced the Bill, said that there are organisations such as Courage International that promote conversion therapies operating in Ireland.

He said that these organisations have been advertised through parish newsletters.

“They aim to suppress a person’s sexual orientation. One of their goals is to live chaste lives in accordance with the Roman Catholic Church’s teachings on homosexuality,” he said.

In terms of the Bill itself, Senator Warfield explained: “If enacted, the Bill would make it unlawful for any person to perform, offer to perform or advertise conversion therapy or to remove someone from the State for the purpose of conversion therapy.”

He added: “I share people’s concerns about the acceleration of turmoil and hate in our fractured world. Sinn Féin is motivated to ensure that Ireland responds to that fractured world, a response that is aggressively focused on building a model, progressive, rights-based republic as a beacon of hope for people everywhere.”

Údarás na Gaeltachta has announced support worth €120,000 today for the development of strategic tourism projects in the Galway Gaeltacht.

The €120,000 grant support will be split evenly between two tourism projects in the Gaeltacht.

Cósta Gaelach Chonamara & Árann and Ionad Cuimhneachán na nImirceach, Carna will each receive €60,000 over a two-year period.

The support will assist them in creating a post so as to enhance project development, marketing and operational management capabilities.

Both projects are currently recruiting and both initiatives have announced contract positions today.

Cósta Gaelach Chonamara & Árann

To support the strengthening of the tourism sector in the Conamara Gaeltacht and in spreading the economic, cultural and employment benefits that result throughout the whole area.

There will be a focus on the region’s natural, linguistic, cultural, environmental and heritage resources.

Cósta Gaelach Chonamara agus Árann is being established as a company limited by guarantee and the establishing committee members have a broad and extensive experience of the tourism industry in Conamara.

The project consists of a marketing and business development group based on the ‘Cósta Chonamara’ model that functioned successfully in Conamara in the nineties and they hope to assist in the enhancing and strengthening the cultural tourism industry in Conamara.

Among the groups main objectives are to market the region as a whole as a tourism ‘destination’, to increase the number of Gaeltacht tourist bednights, support local groups to develop new initiatives and to work with stakeholders to improve tourist facilities.

Ionad Cuimhneachán na nImirceach, Carna

To support the Emigrants Centre to display and provide an account of emigration from Conamara and the imprint it left on the area as well as developing this project for the economic, social and cultural benefit of the area. It is an objective of the initiative to develop a quality heritage and cultural tourism project in Carna.

Significant progress has been made by the committee developing this project over the last number of years. Construction work on the centre commenced in August 2017 and the official opening will be performed by the Mayor of Boston, Marty Walsh on the 12 May 2018.

It is hoped that this projects impact will be evident in the businesses and local services of the area.

Ionad Cuimhneacháin na nImirceach (Emigrants Commemorative Centre) is an important initiative for the Wild Atlantic Way and will give visitors an indication of the role and impact of emigration on the west coast.

An open call towards the end of 2017 invited applications from strategic Gaeltacht tourism initiatives for the Tourism Management Development Scheme.

The successful initiatives may use this support in relation to development, marketing and operational management capabilities according to the project’s requirements and development stage.

A formal training programme for officers will also be established in conjunction with third level institutes.

Údarás na Gaeltachta CEO Mícheál Ó hÉanaigh said: “We are delighted to be in a position to provide funding support for another two strategic Gaeltacht tourism initiatives today under our Tourism Management Development Scheme.

Tourism development is central to Údarás na Gaeltachta’s strategy over the next three years and it is very important to us to develop this management resource and to ensure that the appropriate essential skills for the management of tourism projects are developed and available in Gaeltacht areas.”

NUI Galway has had issues with parking in recent years and the University’s parking authorities have had to deal with some very questionable parking on many occasions.

To park in staff and student spaces and you must display a valid Pay & Display ticket and have a valid permit.

This car, spotted today, decided to ignore the rules and park in the staff area without displaying the correct permit.

There is a Parking Management Appeals Group in place to hear appeals against the clamp on the basis of the “incorrect application of a clamp, unfair treatment, or extraordinary circumstances.”

Unfortunately for those who are clamped and others thinking of chancing their arm, the following reasons are not considered as valid: being late for work/lectures, not being able to find a parking space, a lack of knowledge of the system, disagreeing with the actual system and leaving a self-written note in the window.

“You can’t eat bullets or plough a field with tanks” – ICOS President Martin Keane responding to the EC’s budget proposals today.

The Irish Co-operative Organisation Society (ICOS) has reacted angrily to the European Commission‘s proposals to  cut Common Agricultural Policy spending, while increasing funding in areas such as security and defence.

The European Commission published a draft legislative proposal today for the EU’s seven-year multiannual budget, proposing an overall increased budget of approximately €1.28 Trillion (up from €1.1tn).

However it includes a proposed 5.3% cut to CAP spending, while increasing spending security.

ICOS represents over 130 co-operatives in Ireland – including the Irish dairy processing co-operatives and livestock marts nationwide.

Responding to the announcement, ICOS President Martin Keane stated: “Security and defence are of course important considerations but so too is the sustainability and security of food supply and the sustainability of the farmers and rural communities underpinning that capacity.

“You can’t eat bullets or plough a field with tanks, but you can consume the essential products of our beef, dairy and tillage sectors.

“This proposed cut of 5.3% to CAP funding represents a yearly reduction of nearly €3bn. This is totally unacceptable for Ireland and Europe generally and it must be vehemently resisted by the Minister for Agriculture and Food, by the Government and by our MEPs.

“As direct payments with the CAP make up over 100% of the income of up to 60% of Irish farmers, such a reduction in funding would have a devastating impact on farmers income and enormously severe consequences for the rural economy.

“Cutting funding to agriculture is unacceptable when Irish and EU farmers already stand to be worst hit by Brexit, including the potential loss of UK markets, and are under more pressure than ever more as a result of overall volatility and constantly multiplying regulatory demands.

“In order to help the agri-food sector to overcome the challenges posed by Brexit, as well as to enable it to meet new targets around climate emission reductions and environmental protection, it is necessary to increase, not cut, the level of funding available to agriculture.

“CAP funding supports not only 130,000 Irish farmers and their families, but also a further 100,000 people who are employed across the entire agri-food chain. Cutting this funding directly threatens these jobs, the vast majority of which are located in rural areas.

“We therefore call on the Irish Government, the Minister and our MEPs in the European Parliament to support the agri-food sector and to secure increased funding for the CAP in the upcoming Budget negotiations. We call on them to give us the means to ensure the future sustainability of the sector including security of food supply for consumers and the economy.”