The National Maternity Hospital, Holles Street has confirmed that it recorded one death of a mother under its care last year.

However, the hospital has not provided any details of the death as it says it has been referred to the coroner.

So far, it has been revealed that there were five maternal deaths at Dublin maternity hospitals last year, compared to six in 2011.

Last year, there were two maternal moralities at the Rotunda, detailed recently in its annual clinical report, two at the Coombe, reported in the media but as yet not written up in its clinical report, and one at Holles Street, which has confirmed the death in its clinical report published this week.

The latest Holles Street clinical report states that it is routine for all cases of maternal mortality to be referred to the coroner, with details being published following an inquest, and this process was ongoing at the time of publication of the report.

However, it is unusual for Holles Street not to provide details in its annual clinical report of the circumstances surrounding a maternal death.

A hospital spokesperson declined to elaborate on the death and referred queries on to the Dublin City Coroner's office.

The Coroner's office told irishhealth.com that without any further information about the death being provided, it could not confirm whether an public coroner's inquiry had yet been held.

Holles Steet recorded two maternal deaths in 2011, none in 2010 and one in 2009. A total of nine maternal deaths have been recorded at the hospital in the past 10 years.

The HSE recently confirmed to irishhealth.com that 10 maternal deaths were recorded nationally last year, but would not give the location of the deaths, citing confidentiality reasons.

However it is known that three of the deaths occurred at Cork University Maternity Hospital; two at the Rotunda; two are reported to have taken place, but yet to be officially detailed, at the Coombe; Savita Halappanavar's death at University Hospital Galway and the Holles Street death.

The HSE and the maternity units use a broad, but internationally recognised definition of maternal death to include both direct and indirect deaths.

Direct deaths are due to obstetric complications due to interventions, omissions or incorrect treatment, while indirect deaths include where women have pre-existing medical conditions or conditions developing during pregnancy which were aggravagted by the physiological effects of the pregnancy.

The Central Statistics Office, on the other hand, classifies maternal deaths as those occurring due to 'complications of pregnancy childbirth and puerperium'.