A review of the care given to a pregnant woman has been initiated after the baby died in the mother's womb at Portlaoise Hospital last year.

This is the fifth unexpected infant death in recent years resulting from apparent care deficits at the hospital.

A new RTE Prime Time report on Portlaoise last night revealed a delay in acting on the results of a CTG test in this case. The parents were told the baby should have been delivered at the time of the test, which had been analysed incorrectly.

The baby died the day after the test was taken.The parents were told the circumstances of their case were unusual and that systems were put in place to ensure there was not a repeat of his adverse event.

However, they then discovered that there had been previous similar infant death cases at Portlaoise after they watched a previous Prime Time documentary in January.

Following a damning Department of Health report into the issue last month, a new interim management team was sent in to Portlaoise maternity services and the unit is to have closer links with Dublin's Coombe Hospital.

HIQA is currrently investigating maternity services at the hospital.