Cormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I appreciate being given time to contribute on this very important yet distributing situation at Temple Street. At the outset, I offer my condolences to the family and parents of Dollceanna Carter and all those affected. This issue is causing great anxiety for many patients and families who have used the services of Temple Street. It has caused significant public disquiet and has the potential to undermine the great work done by the entire community at Children's Health Ireland. I welcome the comprehensive patient safety review overseen by Doctor Colm Henry, the chief clinical officer, into elements of the paediatric orthopaedics surgery service. I also welcome the independent external review being carried out by Mr. Nayagam from the Royal Liverpool Children's Hospital. The allegations emerging from Temple Street are extremely serious and very distressing for families and the wider public. The initial handling of the situation was poor, with only the partial reports being published. Given the gravity of the situation, the full facts must be established, which is what the external review will do.

It is critical that the views of parents and families are taken into account in the terms of reference during these reviews. The reports must be published as quickly as possible. It is also important that families are supported. I welcome the open disclosure process for the 19 families affected. This also needs to be progressed as quickly as possible. The matter is also subject to a referral to the Medical Council, which should allow the process to take its course. I understand that 509 scoliosis procedures were carried out at CHI Temple Street in 2022, up from 380 in 2019, before Covid. This is welcome but more needs to be done to improve services for children living with scoliosis and spina bifida and waiting lists, while also ensuring that treatment is in line with international best practice.

It is not acceptable for these children and their families to have to wait for treatment or to be further delayed by the situation. I request that the Minister ask his officials to review the services to see how improvements could be made in the short term.

I pay tribute to the advocacy groups for their work highlighting awareness. There needs to be greater communication between CHI, the HSE and these groups. Finally, I acknowledge the work of the medical community at CHI Temple Street. I know many of them and the great work they do for children. They will be just as disturbed as the rest of us by the allegations that are emerging and I am sure that, like us, they want to see the full facts established and services overhauled.

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