The INMO says Cavan General Hospitals’ midwife-led unit – one of only two in Ireland – must not be downgraded.
In a statement issued this afternoon the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation says it had previously been assured by RCSI hospital group management that full consultation would take place before any decisions on the future of the service were made.
They say that despite this, it now appears that plans to downgrade the service are advancing.
At an INMO midwifery section meeting today midwives called on government to intervene to ensure the promotion of midwife-led units as set out in the National Maternity Strategy, and preserve the status of the unit in Cavan.
All local public representatives are being contacted by the INMO and asked to oppose this decision.