The rescheduled opening of the new €75 million Cork University Maternity Hospital tomorrow remained uncertain last night as a meeting of about 250 midwives on proposed staffing levels continued late into the night.
Midwives from St Finbarr's, the Erinville and the Bon Secours hospitals in Cork began arriving at about 8.30pm at the Rochestown Park Hotel to consider the outcome of ongoing contact between the INO and the HSE.
The HSE has spent the past number of days trying to reassure INO representatives on how it proposed to increase midwifery and nursing numbers from 315 on opening to 375 as recommended by the Labour Court in its ruling.
Midwives going into last night's meeting were reluctant to discuss the latest clarification from the HSE with some indicating that much would depend on the position taken by the INO executive including INO general secretary Liam Doran.
Last Friday INO negotiators had recommended acceptance of a revised proposal on staffing from the HSE which would have seen management open 128 beds at the 144-bed hospital with a nursing complement of 315. However, this was rejected by the midwives with 98.5 per cent expressing opposition to moving to the hospital with 315 midwives and nursing staff because of concern over patient safety.
INO members sought further clarification on how the HSE proposed to increase staff numbers over an eight-week period though the HSE had promised weekly reviews with an overall review after eight weeks. Entering the meeting last night one student midwife expressed disappointment: "We're upset that the HSE didn't really stand by the midwives on staffing levels," she said.