Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)

I begin by acknowledging the anxiety that many young patients and their families will be feeling this week as they read the report's findings on surgery for children with developmental dysplasia of the hip across CHI and the National Orthopaedic Hospital Cappagh. I can only imagine the distress and upset the families are experiencing. There is clearly an urgent need to establish why so many children received surgery when they did not need it. There must be accountability.

I thank Mr. Thomas, the expert auditor, for his work on this report and for the recommendations he has suggested. The audit report and its recommendations have been accepted in full by CHI, Cappagh and the HSE, and the important work to implement these recommendations is already under way.

I accept that families still have many questions about their individual child's surgery, and are seeking answers on what the next steps will be for them following this audit. The first priority will be to recall all the children affected by the audit for a clinical review, to see how they are doing now and to make sure they do not have any complications from the surgery. It is critical that they get proper follow-up to the age of skeletal maturity, when their bones are fully grown and developed, which is typically between the ages of 12 and 16. Parents are due to receive personalised letters from the hospitals in the coming days about this.

Processes have also been put in place since March to ensure safeguarding. All DDH cases are being reviewed by a single team, involving clinicians from all three sites, before any decision for surgery is made.

Parents still have questions about whether their child's surgery met the proper standard, and the Minister is putting an expert panel in place to deal with this. Parents will be informed about the details of the process shortly.

I am mindful that there are other relevant processes ongoing that are awaiting completion, the learning from which will feed into the future development of services. It is important that there is fundamental reform at CHI to ensure a multidisciplinary approach across all areas of medicine for which it is responsible. Patients and their families must have trust and confidence in the care they receive.

A commitment has been given that the work is ongoing. The Minister and the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, are working with the Department on all necessary matters in order to get this sorted. I am grateful for the opportunity to provide an update.

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