Seán Fleming (Laois, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I will ask a few short questions before the Deputies contribute. Mr. Lynch might not know this off the top of his head but perhaps he could send us a report on the number of category 1 incidents. While the numbers involved are small, these are the most catastrophic cases which result in major claims down the road. Mr. Lynch described the increase in reported incidents as a good thing and a reflection of a more proactive and open approach. I get that point. We are interested in the category 1 incidents, so I ask him to send us figures on those. What mechanisms are in place for immediate action when category 1 incidents occur?

Open disclosure is improving and people understand that. We were told at a previous meeting that when someone lodges a claim and names a consultant or an individual, the State Claims Agency is told to drop the names and substitute them with the HSE corporate. When we asked whether some people had caused or been involved in several serious incidents, the State Claims Agency's response, which called to mind a fireside chat, was that it had spotted one or two names cropping up a few times and referred such cases to the HSE asking why these individuals' names had popped up a few times. There did not seem to be any mechanism for dealing with that. Mr. Lynch has repeatedly mentioned learning but we have not seen learning based on what we have heard so far. What happens to people who make a mistake or do not know their job? Are they taken off duty for six months? Mr Lynch knows what I am getting at. He gets my question. That is what we want to hear.

I concur with Mr. Lynch on a final point. Many people end up taking claims, which I blame on HSE management rather than consultants, nurses or doctors. They may have been part of it but if something goes wrong in a hospital, the hospital manager or senior manager is eventually involved. It is a major issue. Group management then comes into it. There is a policy of not being open at that stage. The reason many people take cases is that they did not get answers in the first place. Some of the fault lies in the management structure of the HSE. Management probably thinks its first objective is to protect the HSE and the patients come second. Mr. Lynch has admitted to that culture and that people did not get answers when they asked questions. I am pleased to hear him say that.