There were 67 ‘extreme incidents’ in Ireland’s maternity hospitals last year, according to State Claims Agency figures.
An extreme incident is one that results in permanent incapacity or death. Three cases were labelled ‘major’ in the report, meaning the victim was left permanently disabled, while 1,248 ‘moderate’ incidents were reported.
According to the figures, released to RTÉ’s Prime Time and aired as part of this week’s programme, there were more than 1,300 incidents in total on Irish maternity wards.
Three cases were featured on the show, including that of Navan mum Grace Vaughan who developed septicaemia after she gave birth to her second child in Cavan General Hospital in 2013. Despite being in so much pain when she was leaving the hospital that she was forced to use a wheelchair, Ms Vaughan was still discharged, only to be rushed back to hospital later that night. An external review of the case is now underway.
