The deaths of 11 people in hospital - including five babies - are being investigated in Northern Ireland to find out if they were avoidable. They were all seen in either emergency, obstetrics, gynaecology or X-ray departments.

The Northern Health Trust admits that it has fallen short of the standards the public should expect.

In a statement it says "To those people affected we apologise. We have identified 20 separate incidents over a five year period where the response by the Trust was below standard".

It adds that while it cannot comment on individual cases, they are working closely with the families concerned.

The Trust says it is also reviewing its governance arrangements in obstetrics and gynaecology, and that they are "now dealing with this historical situation and have plans in place to ensure the culture of continuous learning and openness prevails".