Maternal death Enquiry Process

The enquiry approach of the MDE Ireland is based on a process of data collection followed by central assessment of the case by multidisciplinary assessors. All case documentation are anonymised prior to assessment.
Participation in the UK Confidential Enquiry into Maternal Deaths (CEMD) enables aggregation of Irish data into a fully anonymised overall CEMD report. This report will be published by MBRRACE-UK on an annual basis.

Enquiry Documentation

For the purpose of the confidential enquiry, MDE Ireland requests a copy of the clinical notes, and the postmortem report from relevant hospitals and coroners. This will be obtained by the MDE Ireland co-ordinator.
The enquiry also requests completion of specific clinical reports from relevant health care professionals involved in the woman’s care. This will enable the enquiry assessors to make a full and appropriate assessment of care. Documentation includes:

• Surveillance and Rapid Report Form
• Specific clinical reports 

Complete confidentiality is assured, as all case notes and reports are anonymised before assessment; and all documents are destroyed before the Confidential Maternal Death Enquiry report is published. There is no disclosure of information to unauthorised people or agencies.

Accurate and timely return of data is essential in order to adhere to a newly streamlined reporting timetable.

Whilst the MDE welcomes the support of Irish health professionals, it is now HSE policy that all staff in services operated or funded by the HSE cooperates fully with the maternal death enquiry process.