M J Nolan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)

I wish to share time with Deputy Fiona O'Malley. It is important that the House debate this important report on which I commend and congratulate Judge Maureen Harding Clark. The report highlights serious shortcomings in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda and I suspect the issues it addresses may not be once-off difficulties. This is a tragic case and the report's contents must be heart-breaking, painful and distressing for the women who were subject to the practice into which Judge Harding Clark inquired.

The Lourdes hospital inquiry has shown that our health system has shortcomings. While criticisms may have been voiced in certain quarters about the manner in which the issue was highlighted — some described it as sensationalist — it is vital the Government has the power to investigate reports or evidence of failures in the health system. I commend the individual who took it upon herself to express concerns about practices in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda. It is possible the problem was known to other individuals or groups in the hospital but they failed to raise their concerns or specific shortcomings. Procedures need to be established to allow individuals who have concerns about practices in certain institutions — not necessarily hospitals — to raise their misgivings with the relevant authorities.

The Minister did not need to be persuaded to provide a means of redress for the women affected by malpractice. The Government has agreed that Judge Harding Clark should be asked to advise on the appropriate scheme for redress, following the findings in her report, and I am pleased she has agreed to this proposal.

The report highlights shortcomings in the system for securing records in hospitals, a problem which undoubtedly extends beyond Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital. On a recent visit to a patient in a busy Dublin hospital, I was amazed at the amount of record-keeping undertaken in hospitals. While I understand how genuine mistakes can occur and files can be mislaid, the loss of 44 files related to a controversial issue is too much of a coincidence and rules out the possibility that they were mislaid. I hope the Garda investigation into this matter will have a successful outcome.

The pain and distress suffered by the women involved in this case can only be imagined. They are the victims of an imperfect health system and administration. I hope lessons will be learned from the report. The Minister indicated that any isolated institution which does not have in place a process of outcome review by peers and benchmark comparators could produce a similar outcome to that which occurred in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital. This must not be allowed to happen. She also stated that support systems must be in place to conduct regular and obligatory audits. These systems must be established immediately. We cannot wait for another problem to occur.

A further lesson, according to the Minister, is that "there must be mandatory continuing professional development and skills assessment at all levels of health care". This must apply across the board, from top management down to nurses. She also stated that staff need to attend updating of skills and methods programmes and should be able to recognise that procedures change in accordance with evidence-based research. National and international best practice must apply in all our hospitals.

As I stated, this is an important debate. I hope lessons will be learned from this report and acted upon immediately.

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