James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I extend my sympathies to the families. I thank the Deputies for raising these matters and for affording me the opportunity to place my concerns on the record of the House. I, like everyone else who watched the programme, was deeply disturbed by what I saw. At the weekend, I met three of the families involved to offer my sympathies personally and to hear their individual stories. The meetings were very constructive, and I am indebted to the families for speaking to me in such an open and honest manner.

As a priority, we must establish exactly what happened. I have therefore asked the Chief Medical Officer to provide me with a report on the issue as quickly as possible. He will have the support of the chief nursing officer in compiling his report. I have assured the families that the process will be transparent, that they will be involved and that they will have the opportunity to see the report in advance of its release. The findings of the Chief Medical Officer's report will inform the terms of reference of any subsequent HIQA review into this issue. There will be such a review.

My Department is working on the development of a new maternity strategy, which I hope will be finalised by the end of the year.

The strategy will ensure that our services are fit for purpose into the future and in accordance with best available national and international evidence. The Chief Medical Officer's report will inform that strategy, as well as the need for any wider review by HIQA.

It is important to recognise that this issue is of significant concern to pregnant women across the country. I want to be clear and reassure women that Ireland is a safe country in which to have a baby. Compared to neighbouring countries, we have low rates of perinatal deaths, and this rate continues to fall. The perinatal mortality rate is estimated at 5.9 per 1,000 live births and stillbirths in 2012, which is a decline of 31% since 2003. I know this is very little consolation to the families that have lost babies and I know from speaking to the families that they are concerned about how these figures are collected. I have instructed my Department to carry out an audit on the figures and how they are collected in individual hospitals. Nevertheless, these rates are encouraging and I am determined that there will be continuous improvement.

Patient safety is a priority for me. My officials meet representatives of the HSE each month to discuss the service plan, and patient safety is a standing item on that agenda. I have also written to the chairman of HIQA to ensure that his patient safety priorities are included in the monitoring programme against the National Standards for Safer Better Healthcare. My Department is also leading the development of a code of governance which will clearly set out employers' responsibilities in achieving optimal safety culture, governance and performance. I have instructed the national clinical effectiveness committee to commission and quality-assure four priority national guidelines on sepsis, clinical handover, maternal early warning score and paediatric early warning score. The House might also be interested to note that in November 2013 I launched a national policy on open disclosure, developed jointly by the HSE and the State claims agency, designed to ensure an open, consistent approach to communicating with patients when things go wrong in health care. Roll-out of the policy across all health and social services has now commenced.

We cannot undo the loss that the families have suffered, but we can ensure that we learn the lessons we should learn from such events. I want to assure the families that we will do so. I can assure the House that I am determined that a thorough review will be undertaken and that any actions deemed necessary will also be taken.

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