The health safety body HIQA has confirmed that it will undertake an inquiry into patient safety at Portlaoise Hospital, at the request of Health Minister James Reilly.

HIQA's review is to cover services at the hospital as a whole, and not just in the maternity unit.

Portlaoise's maternity unit has been at the centre of a scandal involving the circumstances surrounding the unexpected deaths of a number of infants, and how parents and families were dealt with by hospital staff in the wake of these deaths.

HIQA said its probe will build on the findings of the review published last week by Department of Health Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan, which was strongly critical of Portlaoise's safety and communications culture.

The safety body said its investigation will seek to establish further facts on the safety and quality of services at the hospital. If risks to patients are identified, recommendations will be made to address them, it said.

In addition, HIQA said it had agreed to examine the wider issues identified by Dr Holohan with a focused programme of monitoring of compliance with the National Standards for Safer Better Healthcare, in line with the requirements of the Health Act 2007.

Phelim Quinn, HIQA's Director of Regulation, said HIQA would review the arrangements for providing safe, quality clinical care which would include how the hospital focuses on the needs of patients, the management and leadership at the hospital.

"The investigation team will also review the systems and processes that support safety and quality and the communication between staff and patients, particularly when patient safety incidents occur and when complaints are made."

As part of the investigation, HIQA's investigation team will also take into account the experiences of patients and their families, Mr Quinn added.

The HSE has now brought in a new management team to run the hospital on an interim basis and it is planned to forge closer links with the Coombe Hospital in Dublin in order to improve safety and quality of maternity services.

The interim management team will remain in place until a new governance arrangement for the hospital is introduced.

HSE deputy Director General Laverne McGuinness told the Oireachtas Health Committee yesterday that there were significant shortcomings in care and communications at Portlaoise in the infant death cases.

"On behalf of the HSE, I wish to, once again, repeat this unreserved apology for the failings in the care outcomes experienced by the families concerned, for failing to ensure that prompt incident investigations were undertaken. I also wish to apologise unreservedly for the unacceptable communications with the families at a time when they most needed honesty, compassion and kindness."

She said the fact that timely investigations did not take place into the infant deaths was also unacceptable.

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