Out of hours standards at the National Maternity Hospital will be examined by the health watchdog as part of a review ordered by the Health Minister.
It follows the death of Malak Thawley – who died following routine surgery for an ectopic pregnancy in May 2016.
The hospital has sought to prevent an external inquiry taking place.
34-year-old Malak Thawley suffered a significant bleed during routine surgery at the National Maternity Hospital on Sunday the 8th of May 2016 – after which she died.
The hospital apologised to her husband, and last month settled a lawsuit taken by Alan Thawley - after what his lawyers described as a cascade of negligence.
Now the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) will examine the safety of surgery at the National Maternity Hospital when it’s performed outside of core working hours and in response to emergencies.
HIQA will take particular account of the presence of consultants during out of hours surgery.
It follows a direction by the Health Minister who said he has reasonable grounds to believe there is a particular patient safety risk in relation to the provision of surgical services outside of core working hours.
The National Maternity Hospital has sought judicial review to prevent a HIQA inquiry taking place – the High Court will rule on that next month.
