The Sisters of Charity are withdrawing from any involvement in the running of a new national maternity hospital in Dublin. The two sisters on the board of the St Vincent’s Healthcare Group (SHVG) are resigning with immediate effect.

It was announced in 2013 that the national maternity hospital would relocate to the site of St Vincent’s University Hospital, founded in 1834 by Mother Mary Aikenhead, founder of the Religious Sisters of Charity. As well as owning the site the Sisters were to have been involved in the management of the hospital, with representatives on the board.