THE Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Altnagelvin Hospital in Derry has run out of beds.
A spokesperson for the Western Trust said the issue was over the number available on Sunday afternoon.
However, it is not related to the COVIO-19 pandemic.
A baby requiring intensive care born in the hospital within the next 48 hours would likely be transferred to another hospital, the spokesperson said.
This is in line with the NI reland Neonatal Network, that all Health and Social Care Trusts are part of.
The BBC reports that an expectant mother was informed about the lack of beds when she attended a check-up at the hospital on Sunday morning.
She has since been transferred to another hospital.
“If a baby is born in Altnagelvin Hospital within the next 48 hours and it requires intensive care treatment, it is likely that the baby (and mother) will be transferred to a hospital with an available neonatal intensive care bed,” said a Western Trust spokesperson.
“The decision to move a mother and baby pre or post-birth to a different hospital is never taken lightly.
“It is taken by senior obstetricians along with the neonatal team and they will always prioritise the safety of the baby or babies when doing so.”
In a follow up statement on Sunday evening a spokesperson for the trust said the neonatal unit had now been “temporarily relocated” to enable maintenance work to occur.
“We anticipate that the unit will be reopened on September 7, 2020 once the maintenance works can be completed as planned,” said the spokesperson.
