The Labour Court has ruled that the new €75 million Cork University Maternity Hospital should open at the weekend with the staff numbers proposed by the HSE, but it has recommended that the situation should be reviewed within three to six months.
The HSE and the Irish Nurses' Organisation (INO) have been in dispute for the last few months over the number of midwives necessary to staff the new hospital, which replaces the three existing Cork maternity hospitals at the Erinville, St Finbarr's and the Bons Secours.
The HSE had contended that the 144-bed hospital would be staffed by 375 nurses, including 304 registered midwives and 64 student midwives, and had assured expectant mothers that this staff complement would ensure safety for them and their babies.
However, the INO had argued that an independent report had recommended a staff complement of 383 trained midwives for every 7,000 births annually and that there were almost 8,000 deliveries last year at the three hospitals being replaced.
Both sides were at the Labour Court last week and yesterday the court recommended that the hospital should open next Saturday as planned with a total nurse complement of 375 as proposed by the HSE.
"The midwifery/nursing complement should be 375, as stated by the HSE, on the opening of the hospital," the court said in its ruling. "This number should be composed of qualified midwives and nurses only."
It also recommended that independent expert Marie Washbrook, who carried out the initial review of staffing levels for the HSE, should be re-engaged to carry out a review within three to six months of the hospital opening.
Barry O'Brien, HSE South's assistant national director of human resources, last night welcomed the court's decision and said the HSE was looking forward to the hospital opening as planned. "Any outstanding issues such as promotion and career opportunities will be addressed as per assurances given previously by the HSE and as recommended by the Labour Court," said Mr O'Brien.
However the INO's Patsy Doyle said her members would be seeking urgent clarification from the Labour Court today regarding its recommendations regarding the role of student midwives and would await that before putting the ruling to a vote.