Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity) | Oireachtas source

First, I thank the families affected who came forward with their concerns about maternity hospital services at PUH. I express to them the condolences of the Solidarity-People Before Profit group.

The manner in which this State has treated women and children has been both a recurring theme and a major issue for Irish society. Indeed, the recent referendum was part of the overall debate within society about these matters. The neglect of women and children in the 20th century is becoming better known.

The House has just discussed the situation facing those who were adopted and whose births were registered illegally. This State has a shameful record when it comes to mother and baby homes and industrial schools. The matter we are discussing, however, relates to maternity services in this century, not the distant past. There are people in this House who have been members of Cabinet at various points during the period in question. The recurring theme of neglect of pregnant women and children has continued into this century.

The review identified 18 cases between 2008 and 2014. A number of children died and those that did not die suffered serious conditions such as brain damage and cerebral palsy. The children and their parents are facing that situation. Births, of course, are not without risk. However, this report identifies factors in these cases that could have been avoided. Proper practice and resources would have avoided the negative outcomes. The report identifies that different management of obstetric care would have resulted in better outcomes for the children in ten of the 18 cases involved.

The report is clear about the issues at Portiuncula. There were clear failings in the escalation of concerns. Staff numbers were not sufficient to meet the needs of mothers and children. There was a clear lack of staffing at weekends and out of hours. The relevant consultant or midwife was not on duty on several occasions. There were also issues with training and practices when there were difficult births. The lack of use of oxytocin is mentioned as well.

Families were not openly communicated with and this intensified their grief. There are two examples of bereaved parents being contacted about their children by staff members at the hospital who were not aware that those children had died. This did not happen in the distant past, it was the practice here recently. What was the Ireland of 2008 to 2014 like? It was the era of austerity. Public services were cut back massively. Political decisions were made to prioritise the bank bailout and to make workers and public services pay for that bailout. We had severe reductions in public services, including the health service.

Those in government at the time were austerity Ministers. Budgets were slashed and burned. Political decisions have a real effect when they reduce budgets. We have a ballooning waiting list in our public health service, with hundreds of thousands of people awaiting various procedures. Cuts to public spending mean fewer staff in our hospitals at times when they are needed. Anyone visiting a hospital knows the dedication and professionalism of healthcare workers. What happened at Portiuncula was that there was a lack of training, resources and staff to serve the needs of women and newborn children.

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