Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome our guests and thank them for their presentations. I wish to be associated with the Chairman's opening remarks on what they have experienced personally through their tragic losses at the Midland Regional Hospital, Portlaoise. HIQA produced a report on maternity services and services more broadly at the hospital that makes for very difficult reading, even when one removes oneself from the emotional aspect, in terms of management and how the hospital was run and supported at regional and national level. It was said red flags were being raised and alarm bells were ringing, but it seems that they were continually ignored.

It is always said when issues such as this arise that it is a question of systems failure, but if we continually blame the system, we will never start to address the problems that may be endemic in organisations in people not believing they have responsibility or accountability when things go wrong. As evidenced by HIQA's report and given the testimony of our guests, there was sufficient information flowing from them, others and staff at the hospital to senior management at local and regional level to suggest it could not state it was unaware of the inherent dangers in maternity services and the hospital.

I do not want to ask a leading question, but did Mr. and Mrs. Molloy ever believe the HSE was genuinely interested, or was there a pretence that it was trying to assist and listen to them? Did they always believe barriers were being placed in front of them or did they have the sense that the HSE was genuinely interested in listening to what they had to say and trying to address the problems they were highlighting in the context of their tragic case and broader services at the hospital?

Do Mr. and Mrs. Molloy think they were led up the garden path by delays and prevarication in the hope that they would eventually go away or was genuine empathy shown at any stage in the process?

None of us would be here today but for the tenacity and bravery shown by the families concerned. Equally, however, if "Prime Time" had refused to take the telephone call from the Molloy family, HIQA would not have carried out an investigation of Portlaoise. This is a matter of concern for me because when families undergo terrible experiences, I would expect the system to kick in with a thorough analysis of what went wrong and how it can ensure such experiences do not happen again. Ms O'Connor's comments on the interaction between Patient Focus and the HSE in advocating for patients who were damaged by the health services suggests an inherent resistance to openness. This committee has previously discussed the question of developing transparent policies for dealing with patients who have had adverse interactions with the HSE. These policies do not seem to be progressing. The correspondence between the HSE and Mr. and Mrs. Molloy suggests this attitude lasted almost until the broadcast of the "Prime Time" documentary. This attitude is also evident in the chief medical officer's report and recommendations on Portlaoise. It should be a cause of significant concern for anyone who wants the HSE to provide safe maternity services that some of these recommendations have not been implemented.

Do the witnesses believe the HIQA report reflects their experience of dealing with the HSE in regard to the immediate problems with maternity services and the death of baby Mark and their subsequent dealings with local management? Do they think the report is deficient in any aspects? It is clear that alarm bells were ringing in the hospital for a number of years. Last week representatives from HIQA told us they had been investigating the hospital. I asked why HIQA did not carry out an investigation prior to being requested by the Minister for Health to conduct a full investigation under section 9 of the Health Act 2007. Can we learn anything from this sequence of events? What should be done to ensure the witnesses' experience is not visited on any other family not only in terms of the provision of maternity care but also in the subsequent experience of engaging with the health service?

Do the witnesses believe a statutory patient safety authority could play a meaningful role in facilitating other families who have had adverse encounters with the HSE to come forward with their experiences? Have the Molloys encountered any significant change in their dealings with local management at Portlaoise hospital between the time of baby Mark's death and the present?