Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I fully accept Deputy Connolly's bona fides on the matter but I am sure she accepts mine as well. My primary concern is and will always be - as long as I hold this office - for the individual patients, their confidentiality, safety and sensitivity with regard to their own cases. They have a right to have their confidential patient information absolutely protected.

Let me put some more information on the record. I am more than willing to make all of the information I have available. As I said, there were concerns about four spinal surgery cases identified as part of the internal quality management systems in place within the Saolta University Healthcare Group. An independent audit of the spinal surgical practice of a consultant orthopaedic surgeon at University Hospital Galway was completed between 1 January 2013 and 14 November 2014. The four cases were notified and reviewed in the period March to July 2014 - those people were notified - whereupon an external review was commissioned. When Saolta received the report of the external review in November 2014, it then decided to initiate a wider audit and the surgeon involved was directed to cease performing spinal surgery immediately.

A communications process was commenced on 7 November this year to notify each patient whose chart was audited, even where there was no concern raised at all. Of importance is that Mr. Frank Dowling, external spinal and orthopaedic consultant, will provide a clinical review of the identified patients through specific scheduled clinics this month, December 2016. If patients require any ongoing spinal care or follow-up, this will be provided by the spinal service at University Hospital Galway.

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