HSE creates panel of 30 midwives at Portlaoise Hospital
The HSE says a panel of more than 30 midwives has been created at Portlaoise Hospital, after a review of staffing arrangements.
It emerged this morning that in January the midwife to patient ratio there was one to 70, more than twice the internationally recommended ratio of one to 29.5
The hospital is under investigation after the deaths of several babies in recent years.
The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation is gathering this afternoon for its annual conference, which is set to be dominated by staffing levels.
General Secretary of the INMO Liam Doran says maternity services are stretched everywhere and the issue of staffing is set to dominate their conference which runs until Friday.
The union says the health service has lost 5000 nursing and midwifery posts since 2009.
