Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Martin for his question. I am sure that on a matter as serious and sensitive as this, nobody wants to make political point-scoring the objective of their questions. I know that is not what Deputy Martin is doing. For the families of the five little babies who are no longer with us, Katelyn Keenan-McCarthy, Nathan Molyneaux, Joshua Keyes, Mary Kate Kelly and Mark Molloy, it is obviously a tragedy. The persistence and dedication of the parents in following this through has brought about a situation where the HIQA report has been made and published. It is not the first HIQA report - there have been seven on various sensitive issues in the past number of years, such as on the misdiagnosis of breast cancer several years ago and on warnings about inadequacies in maternity services going back as far as 2006. There will always be occasions when adverse incidents unfortunately arise in hospitals. That is not confined to this country but happens in hospitals all over the world. It is imperative that actions are taken to minimise that risk and to learn fully from errors where errors occur.

I recognise the courage and dedication of the families involved in persisting and following through on this until the HIQA report was published. The publication of the report is welcome and its eight recommendations are all accepted. This will drive much needed improvements in Portlaoise and will have implications for the standards of local, regional and national services not just in maternity but in other sectors. The very least the families who have spoken out here deserve is that the tragic legacy of what happened will be dealt with so that, in so far as is humanly possible, it should never happen again.

I agree with Deputy Martin that this report raises issues of grave concern. The fact that patients in their greatest hour of need were not treated with compassion, respect and dignity is an indictment of the health service in some locations. The fact that, at HSE corporate level, patient safety is not given the highest priority is disturbing to put it mildly. It is a fact that there are accountability and disciplinary procedures in respect of doctors and nurses but not in respect of management and that is why this report is lengthy and complicated and one on whose content the Minister for Health has to reflect very carefully. At the very least a comprehensive response is required to ensure that a culture of patient safety is evident in the health service as a matter of absolute priority and it is not just a service that pays lip-service to patients and their requirements but one where the patient and the patient's needs are at its centre.

The Minister is engaging directly with the HSE directorate to ensure that the very serious findings of this report are addressed and, in accepting the eight recommendations of the report, that they are fully implemented and that other issues arising from it are dealt with appropriately. Deputy Martin asked about resources and one would expect that. It is not all about resources but it is in part about resources. I have dealt with many health issues over the years and for many years there has been a failure to address fundamental questions about the nature, the structure and the kind of service we need for our people nationwide. The Minister will have to bear this in mind as he looks at national, regional and local services.

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