Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)

I agree completely with the Deputy. However, my immediate priority is to ensure that there is clinical follow-up and care for patients who have undergone pelvic osteotomy surgery in accordance with the recommendations of the Thomas audit report. I am very aware that there are families around Ireland who are receiving letters and follow-up to say that surgery was not necessary on their child. I cannot imagine the distress that those families experience when they receive that sort of communication. I have spoken to families who are having that experience and it is so utterly distressing for them.

Clinical follow-up to skeletal maturity for children in CHI Crumlin, CHI Temple Street and the National Orthopaedic Hospital Cappagh, NOHC, is already under way for patients. These children have been identified and categorised by age, with a proportion of them being close to skeletal maturity and likely to need just one appointment. The clinic is structured as a one-stop multidisciplinary team model for assessment, and that includes consultation with a doctor, a physiotherapy assessment, an X-ray, if clinically indicated, and immediate documentation of findings. After this, patients enter the recommended normal follow-up process.

As of Monday, 23 June 2025, 115 appointments have been offered to CHI and NOHC patients. A total of 86 patients have been booked and 71 patients have been seen so far. Patients who request attendance at another hospital or with another consultant will have their request facilitated by CHI. It is important to say that the consultant who did the surgery is not the one who is doing the review, in the clinical follow-up. I will get to the expert review as well. I just want to make sure that this is on the record.

In relation to the retrospective reviews of cases, which is the second process, to determine the indications for surgery and whether they were warranted, the HSE is establishing a separate process, involving external experts. Professor Deborah McNamara, the president of RCSI, has agreed to assist the HSE in establishing the expert panel and terms of reference.

I have more information for the Deputy on that.

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