Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Gavan for raising this issue and giving me the opportunity to address the orthodontic look-back review. As he stated, in 2015 a review report was commissioned by the HSE following receipt of a statement of concern relating to an orthodontic service serving the greater Dublin area between 1992 and 2002. This review was, in fact, a scoping report commissioned to advise the HSE on what action should be taken to determine if there was a risk of harm to patients in this case. The 2015 report did not include a review of patient records for the period and so, understandably, reliable conclusions could not be drawn at the time in respect of potential patient harm.

Following receipt of that report, the HSE initiated a comprehensive audit of more than 7,500 patient files available from that period. Due to the scale of the audit and the requirements for specialist staff and resources, the timeline was protracted. While the HSE regrets that this work has taken so long to progress, its priority all times has been for a robust audit on which to base any further action required. The audit and clinical review of relevant patient files from the period was completed in 2020.

As a result of this complex and large-scale audit, it was found that 16 of more than 7,500 records reviewed by clinicians did not include a documented endpoint to the patient's treatment with braces. The HSE has issued correspondence to all of the patients identified as requiring recall and the process of engagement with them is ongoing. The timeline for review prioritises affording patients time to engage with the HSE at their own pace and in the context of the overall Covid-19 restrictions. The HSE advises that a draft report has been submitted to the commissioner, the HSE national director of community operations. Once the commissioner has accepted the report and the patients have been engaged with and given a copy, the report will be made available to stakeholders.

The Senator referred to Ted McNamara in the context of the report. To me, seven years is far too long, Covid-19 notwithstanding. I hope the report will be made available to stakeholders as quickly as possible. I will follow this up within the Department but, to me, seven years is a simply unacceptable timeline.