Results 2,141-2,160 of 26,396 for speaker:David Cullinane

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Spinal Surgery Issues at Children's University Hospital Temple Street: Children's Health Ireland (28 Sep 2023)

David Cullinane: With respect, Ms Hardiman, we are very short on time. I appreciate her response but my question is more direct. I am asking it from her perspective, and I know there will be an external review. Is it possible that huge pressure was exerted on consultants working in these hospitals to do more procedures than it was potentially safe to do? Given the level of complications that arise, the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Spinal Surgery Issues at Children's University Hospital Temple Street: Children's Health Ireland (28 Sep 2023)

David Cullinane: Is Ms Hardiman saying that is not a possibility? She is completely ruling that out as a possibility.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Spinal Surgery Issues at Children's University Hospital Temple Street: Children's Health Ireland (28 Sep 2023)

David Cullinane: I put it to Ms Hardiman that it was in July that CHI first became aware of a serious incident and then the second one in September.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Spinal Surgery Issues at Children's University Hospital Temple Street: Children's Health Ireland (28 Sep 2023)

David Cullinane: The Department was not notified until November, and that includes the Minister for Health. That is four months, which is completely unacceptable. In my view, there have been lots of failures. I have a final question as I am almost out of time. There will be lots of issues for the review to deal with. I do not believe there should be any reporting back to CHI. My next questions are on...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Spinal Surgery Issues at Children's University Hospital Temple Street: Children's Health Ireland (28 Sep 2023)

David Cullinane: With respect, Ms Hardiman can disclose it. I am asking about issues that are matters of fact. The springs were either procured formally through CHI or not. That does prejudice anything; it is a matter of fact.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Spinal Surgery Issues at Children's University Hospital Temple Street: Children's Health Ireland (28 Sep 2023)

David Cullinane: In that case, CHI cannot find a paper trail.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Spinal Surgery Issues at Children's University Hospital Temple Street: Children's Health Ireland (28 Sep 2023)

David Cullinane: I want to make a final point.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Spinal Surgery Issues at Children's University Hospital Temple Street: Children's Health Ireland (28 Sep 2023)

David Cullinane: That would be a matter of judgment and people can form their own conclusions. Ms Hardiman has given her view and I have given mine. On procurement, Ms Hardiman said there was an invoice. She stated strongly, and rightly so, that the springs should never has been used. I find it extraordinary that, even today, she cannot tell us whether they were sourced and procured by a consultant...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Spinal Surgery Issues at Children's University Hospital Temple Street: Children's Health Ireland (28 Sep 2023)

David Cullinane: It is in his interest as well that my question is answered.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Spinal Surgery Issues at Children's University Hospital Temple Street: Children's Health Ireland (28 Sep 2023)

David Cullinane: It is important for us to appreciate the scale of the overall failures that families and children feel in relation to a litany of issues. We are discussing here today the issues of the use of springs and non-medical grade devices and all of the issues that arise in relation to the post-surgical complications and infections but we must bear in mind as well that there have been years of broken...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Spinal Surgery Issues at Children's University Hospital Temple Street: Children's Health Ireland (28 Sep 2023)

David Cullinane: Does Ms Hardiman accept that CHI should have no role?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Spinal Surgery Issues at Children's University Hospital Temple Street: Children's Health Ireland (28 Sep 2023)

David Cullinane: Some would say the HSE should not be involved either. Maybe it should be the Department. In any event, I want to be clear that Ms Hardiman is agreeing that CHI should have no role whatsoever in crafting the terms of reference.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Spinal Surgery Issues at Children's University Hospital Temple Street: Children's Health Ireland (28 Sep 2023)

David Cullinane: At the heart of this current tragedy, if I may call it that, are two issues, and scandal. The first is the use of these non-medical grade springs. We have had some discussion on it. We must wait for this current review, which is under way, and that might answer questions on procurement. Ms Hardiman is adamant that neither she nor anybody else, other than, I assume, the people who used...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Spinal Surgery Issues at Children's University Hospital Temple Street: Children's Health Ireland (28 Sep 2023)

David Cullinane: I will ask Dr. Goldman then. Is the lack of ICU capacity in Temple Street potentially one of the reasons?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Spinal Surgery Issues at Children's University Hospital Temple Street: Children's Health Ireland (28 Sep 2023)

David Cullinane: So it is possible.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Spinal Surgery Issues at Children's University Hospital Temple Street: Children's Health Ireland (28 Sep 2023)

David Cullinane: No. This is what I am asking, to be clear. We have reports published which cite very high and, it has been argued, unusual levels of post-theatre complications and infections. Is that not what is being examined here?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Spinal Surgery Issues at Children's University Hospital Temple Street: Children's Health Ireland (28 Sep 2023)

David Cullinane: Exactly. I am asking if it is possible that a lack of ICU capacity was in some way part of the problem here.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Spinal Surgery Issues at Children's University Hospital Temple Street: Children's Health Ireland (28 Sep 2023)

David Cullinane: Okay. Dr. Goldman says, "No."

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Spinal Surgery Issues at Children's University Hospital Temple Street: Children's Health Ireland (28 Sep 2023)

David Cullinane: I have a very short time. My other points are in relation to the volume about which I asked earlier. Is the volume of work that was done by some of these surgeons maybe part of the problem? Most crucially, is it possible that the main reason or one of the real reasons we had so many complications and returns to surgery is because of the length of time that those children were waiting? Is...