Update 5.45pm: Management at the Coombe Maternity Hospital in Dublin say €15m is needed to rebuild its operating theatres.

It follows a report by the State watchdog which declared the theatre department was not fit for purpose.

Two of the operating rooms were opened in 1967 and a further two were added in 1995.

HIQA Inspectors found the design is outdated and does not meet the required standards.

Master at the Coombe Dr Sharon Sheehan said the report did not come as a surprise.

“We totally endorse the findings (and) are fully in agreement with what they found,” she said.

“They found that unfortunately our theatres are unfit for purpose. It didn’t take HIQA to tell us this; we had written to the HSE and submitted a business case telling them (the same thing), and asking for the funding to go ahead and rebuild our theatres.

“HIQA have endorsed that and said this will take a rebuild of our theatres.”

Earlier report:

The operating theatre at the Coombe Maternity Hospital is not fit for purpose, according to a HIQA report.

Inspectors found the theatre design is outdated and doesn’t meet the required standards.

They also say there wasn’t effective infection prevention measures at the Dublin hospital.

Inspectors said some of the measures would need major capital investment to fix.