Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I would like to shed some light on the issues that have been raised, if I can. I know the Minister for Health is not here. I have been in contact with him. He is more than willing to make himself available early next week, at the earliest opportunity, to take questions in the Dáil. I do not think he will be able to be back by tomorrow, given the commitments he has already given in New York, but he is anxious to be back to answer questions.

I would like to answer some of those questions if I can now, in particular on the issue of the reports. First, I want to extend my sympathy to the patients and many of the families who have been impacted. I am more than aware that they are not looking for sympathy from me; rather, they are looking for answers. Some of the parents I have heard speak on media in the past 48 hours have used terms like "sickened", "disgusted", "angry" and, perhaps most importantly, "frightened" in terms of the treatment their children may have received. We have an obligation to put all of the information in the public domain as comprehensively as we can and to work with families to make sure we forge a way forward that gives them reassurance.

A comprehensive patient safety review and assurance process, overseen by the HSE and its chief clinical officer, Dr. Colm Henry, is now under way at Temple Street into elements of the paediatric orthopaedic surgery service there. The HSE has commissioned a UK expert, Mr. Nayagam, who is from a hospital in Liverpool, to lead an external review following the identification of a number of specific clinical and patient safety concerns. These concerns relate to the clinical outcomes of some complex spinal surgery, including what appears to be a higher than normal incidence of post-operative complications and infections and two serious surgical incidents.

It is important to say that we do not have all of the facts at this point in time, but we need to establish them. That is what this external review will do. The Medical Council will also be involved. There have been two key reports by CHI to date that have been referred to by Deputies - one internal report and an external report completed by Boston's Children Hospital. Neither has been published. Instead, CHI published a combined report which is its interpretation of the two existing reports. I do not believe that is good enough, and nor does the Government. The Government has insisted that CHI publish both reports in full and I hope it will do so as soon as today, but if not today certainly very shortly. I hope that will happen this evening.

In addition, the Minister for Health has asked that the external reviewer look at the wider paediatric orthopaedic service, and governance and other operational matters across the entire service. The Minister will meet the reviewer, Mr. Nayagam, shortly. He will, of course, meet patient representatives and families before we proceed further.

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