Denise Mitchell (Dublin Bay North, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The motion is about ensuring that every healthcare service in the State is open and truthful when it comes to dealing with patients and the public. I could not believe what I was reading in recent reports that CervicalCheck issued a circular to consultants saying it was up to individual doctors to tell patients about their misdiagnosis. I refer to the Medical Council's guidelines on disclosure, which state patients and their families, where appropriate, are entitled to honest, open and prompt communication about adverse events that may cause them harm. It is clear that those guidelines were not followed. Patients need to be able to have trust in their health service and that means they need to get the full truth. The HSE should not wait until a complaint is made before it tells a patient the truth. That is morally wrong. If we are all in agreement, I ask Members to support this motion because all patients deserve openness, transparency and full communication from the health service.

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