Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

This group of amendments deals with the open disclosure meeting itself and the subsequent engagement between the health services provider and the patient concerning the patient safety incident that was the subject of the open disclosure in terms of the provision of further information or clarification of information already provided.

Amendment No. 12 inserts section 16 into the Bill, which provides for the open disclosure meeting itself, specifying what information must be provided at the open disclosure meeting as well as the manner in which that information and, where appropriate, an apology is to be made and specifying that a statement in writing containing the information provided must be given to the patient or relevant person.

Amendment No. 14 provides for a situation where further information may become available after the open disclosure meeting. The amendment inserts section 18 into the Bill, which provides for the provision of any new information, given pro-actively by the health services provider to the patient and or relevant person.

Amendment No. 15 takes into account a situation which is likely to arise where a patient may have questions following an open disclosure meeting. The amendment inserts section 19 into the Bill, which provides for how requests for clarification of information already provided by the health services provider are to be addressed.

The protections inserted under amendment No. 6 also apply to clarification of information and further information provided under the sections inserted by amendments Nos. 14 and 15.