More regular and detailed reports on maternal deaths in Ireland are to be published from next year.

Until now, reports on maternal deaths in Ireland, published by the Confidential Maternal Death Enquiry Ireland (MDE Ireland) have been published every three years.

MDE Ireland have now reached agreement to transfer Irish maternal death data with a UK data collection body - MBRRACE-UK. This stands for Mothers and Babies-Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries.

MDE Ireland says it is anticipated that the first maternal death report under the new UK-based arrangements, covering the period 2009 to 2012, will be published later this year.

After this, MBRRACE reports on maternal deaths in the UK and Ireland will be published annually.

The report to be published later this year will also look more closely at maternal deaths than in previous reports. Issues to be reviewed will include sepsis, obstetric haemmorhage, anaesthetic-related deaths, amniotic fluid embolism, neurological causes and deaths due to indirect causes.

All maternal deaths occurring during and within one year of pregnancy will be included in the new reports.

The most recent MDE Ireland report, covering the years 2009-2011, reported that the annual maternal mortality rate in Ireland was eight per 100,000 births, compared to two per 100,000 reported by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) MSE.

MSE Ireland uses wider criteria than the CSO to determine maternal deaths, and this wider criteria will also be used in the new UK-based reports.