Gardai called to Limerick maternity hospital over ‘at risk’ baby

GARDAI were deployed to University Maternity Hospital Limerick for five days on a 24-7 basis after a newborn baby was placed on a risk register, the Limerick Leader has learned.

And it is understood that at least two gardai had been stationed outside a room at UMHL for more than 100 hours over the past week.

A number of mothers with newborn children had to be relocated with just one mother occupying the room.

The UL Hospitals Group was contacted in relation to the relocation of patients and said: “For reasons of patient confidentiality, UL Hospitals Group cannot comment on individual cases.

“The safety and comfort of all patients are our highest priority. Transferring patients within the hospital is always carried out in a safe and orderly manner.”

It is understood that the baby remained with the mother at the hospital until an interim care order was granted this week.

The garda operation commenced at the weekend after Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, notified the baby’s parents that their baby was listed on the Child Protection Notification System (CPNS) as “at risk of emotional abuse”.

According to documents seen by this newspaper, Tusla contacted the parents to inform them that there were “concerns in respect of your ability to parent” the child, and that a child protection case conference was to be held to put together a safety plan for the baby.

Tusla applied for an interim care order, the correspondence stated.

“If you decide to leave the hospital with [baby] prior to the court hearing, the maternity hospital will need to call the gardai given the concerns, to prevent this,” the letter states.

In another letter issued to the mother and father on the same day, they were informed their child had been listed on the CPNS.

The letter repeated that the Child and Family Agency had asked the gardai to invoke Section 12 of the Childcare Act should they leave with the baby.

Section 12 of the Childcare Act allows for the removal of a child to safety if there is an immediate and serious risk to its health or welfare.

An emergency care order was granted in Limerick District Court followed by an interim care order hearing this week.

According to documents seen by this newspaper, Limerick District Court made an interim care order, ordering that the baby be placed in State care until late February.