Eugene Murphy (Roscommon-Galway, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Jim Daly, for being in the House to answer my questions. I call on the Minister for Health to urgently address the failings identified in a review of paediatric audiology services provided in more than 900 cases by one audiologist in counties Mayo and Roscommon in the period from 2011 to 2015 which may have left some children with lifelong hearing impairments. I congratulate "RTÉ Investigates" on another outstanding piece of work in uncovering this issue. As we now know, the HSE carried out a review of services provided in counties Mayo and Roscommon in the period from 2011 to 2015. More than 900 cases were examined and 49 children found to be affected. This is yet another unbelievable failure on the part of the HSE. It is staggering to think the particular audiologist had been working in the Mayo-Roscommon area for more than ten years. It is unforgivable that many of the children identified in the review may be left with lifelong hearing impairments. It is utterly shocking. What good is the apology that has been given to the families if their children were at an increased risk of a missed diagnosis or may be left with lifelong hearing impairments?

I also understand the clinical team which undertook the review found that many of the hearing assessments did not meet national audiology standards. Time and again, we hear about failures in the HSE such that it is now extremely difficult for the public to have faith in the organisation, which is a pity because there are some things it does very well and there are some excellent front-line staff, as the Minister of State has seen. If the review only covered the period from 2011 to 2015, what about the many other cases with which the individual audiologist was involved given that they worked in the Mayo-Roscommon area for over ten years? I call on the Minister - I know that the Minister of State is here to represent him - to clarify whether the review will be extended to cover the full period of time the audiologist worked in Mayo-Roscommon area, as well as to other parts of the country where they may also have worked. I have submitted a number of parliamentary questions on this matter in a bid to seek urgent clarification on this latest unwelcome development.

I have been contacted by a constituent whose daughter was misdiagnosed by the audiology service. Although the constituent was told that her child's hearing had not been impaired, her mother's instinct led her to pay for a private consultation and the child did have a hearing impediment. The family paid privately for an operation to deal with the problem. They paid over €2,000 to have their child's hearing impediment corrected and hearing protected. Will they receive a refund, given that it was HSE failings that led them to seek private treatment?

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