Issues have been raised about the circumstances surrounding the the deaths of a number of infants over a six-year period at a midlands maternity unit.

An RTE Prime Time investigation tonight will claim that there were failures in treatment and a failure to implement care recommendations. The deaths took place at the Midland Regional Hospital, Portlaoise.

The programme claims a report into the death of one baby in 2008 found there were a number of failings in the care provided by the hospital. A number of recommendations were made in the report to improve safety.

It is also claimed that that other babies subsequently died in very similar circumstances and that the review of these cases also found failings in care. The programme claims the hospital and HSE had failed to implement the previous safety recommendations in full.

The prpgramme also alleges that neither the hospital nor the HSE informed the bereaved families that an investigation had taken place in their case or that a report had been produced until years later.