Richard O'Donoghue (Limerick County, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I want to continue to speak on the points I raised on 22 June with regard to the management of University Hospital Limerick. What is the true number of potential patient safety incidents and deaths that have occurred in the hospitals under the management of the University of Limerick Hospital Group? Serious safety incidents reported by conscientious professionals in University Hospital Limerick have not received attention. Patients have raised concerns and staff members have brought concerns to hospital management without officially reporting the incidents for fear of the impact it might have on their careers. These concerns are often ignored and buried without following protocol. Some of these incidents have led to serious injury and the deaths of patients. Families are not aware of how their loved ones were injured or died. This became very clear to me when a young 18-year-old girl, Jessica Sheedy, from my local area died in University Hospital Limerick following surgery. She would not have died if management had done its duty and reported previous serious incidents through the proper channels. This is how serious the situation is in the hospital.

Whistleblowers in University Hospital Limerick are silenced by management. They are worn down until they sign non-disclosure agreements. How many protected disclosures are investigated properly? If proper procedures had been followed by University Hospital Limerick management, it would not be in the catastrophic state it is in because the State authorities would have been alerted much earlier to the dangers to the public in the accident and emergency department and the six hospitals under the management of the hospital group. I am asking for a public inquiry into the number of incidents recorded in University Hospital Limerick that have not been reported nationally.

University Hospital Limerick management has a duty of care to the public. It should be made accountable, criminally accountable if necessary. A public inquiry should not be carried out by past or present HSE employees. This is always the case when families are informed that a so-called independent investigation will be carried out. So-called external investigations are often misleading and inaccurate. External organisations should investigate. Should University Hospital Limerick management be allowed to risk the safety of the public to hide dangers? It has tried to cover up incompetence and negligence through deceit and corruption. It has not been made accountable. What will the Minister for Health do to prevent future harm to the public in this hospital in the meantime? Will the Minister for Health ask the Garda to conduct a criminal investigation into the situation? The people of the mid-west have the right to attend a hospital where patient safety comes first.

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