Babies should be delivered at Monaghan General Hospital if delivery is "inevitable prior to transfer" to another hospital, according to protocols set out by the North Eastern Health Board.
They also say mothers arriving at Monaghan "whose baby's gestational age is less than 32 weeks" should be transferred to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda, while those whose baby's gestational age is more than 32 weeks should be transferred to Cavan General Hospital.
Ms Denise Livingstone's baby, Bronagh Livingstone, was at 26 weeks' gestation and transferred to Cavan.
The protocol for "the management of emergency transfers for all obstetrical mothers from Monaghan/Navan/Dundalk (unannounced)" was drawn-up following the withdrawal of maternity services from the hospital last year and revised on June 17th this year.
The procedures were put in place, say the protocols, "in the understanding that there will not be practising midwives or obstetric staff on site" at the hospitals.
On arrival "the mother will be taken to the A&E Department/ Treatment Room.
"The senior nurse on duty in the A&E and the most senior surgical doctor immediately available must be called to the A&E/Treatment Room. Immediate and urgent triage and assessment is provided to the mother," it goes on.
It says the nurse on duty should contact ambulance control to tell them an ambulance was required to transfer an "obstetrical emergency".
Mothers in Dundalk or Navan should be sent to the hospital in Drogheda, while Monaghan mothers should be sent to either Drogheda or Cavan.
On the transfer of the mother and baby, the protocol says "the baby will travel in an incubator". It is understood the ambulance that took Ms Livingstone to Cavan on Wednesday morning did not have an incubator.
A spokeswoman for the North Eastern Health Board said the investigation into the death of Ms Livingstone's daughter, Bronagh, ordered by the Minister for Health, Mr Martin, would involve an examination of the protocols.
Mr Alphonsus Kennedy, consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at Monaghan General Hospital - who has not been allowed by the North Eastern Health Board to practise obstetrics there since March 1st, 2001 - said last night he was "extremely concerned that the health board will try to scapegoat the doctor and nurse who were on duty that night".
He questioned whether staff at Monaghan had been adequately briefed on the protocols.
"The board will probably try to defend themselves against this by trying to pin the blame on the doctor and nurse and the fact of the matter is that the board should have anticipated a situation like this arising. It is the board that is to blame for this situation."
He said the protocols did not take adequate account of emergency situations which required the immediate intervention of a consultant obstetrician and/or anaesthetist.
"What protocol is there for when a woman arrives in extremis - i.e. in danger of dying?" he asked. He said it was "inevitable" that a mother would be lost "sooner or later" in the current situation.
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