Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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1319. To ask the Minister for Health the safeguards that are now in place following the CJD incident at Beaumont Hospital. [37219/13]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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The Health Service Executive has advised me that Beaumont Hospital issued a comprehensive report to HIQA and the HSE on 9 August 2013 on this matter, outlining an action plan for measures to prevent risk of transmission from such an occurrence. These actions include a comprehensive process mapping of neurosurgical patients, led by Beaumont’s Chair of Clinical Governance, a review of decontamination processes, led by the Director of Operations/Deputy CEO and a review of the tracking of instruments in theatres, led by the Critical Care Directorate Nurse Manager. Regular meetings, chaired by the CEO, form part of the monitoring programme. The HSE has informed me that all of this work is in progress.

In relation to the specific incident, as soon as a possible CJD diagnosis was made for a patient being treated in Beaumont, the hospital quarantined the equipment used on the patient in question and commenced a review to determine what, if any, risk might exist for other patients. As part of this process, advice was provided by the Irish Panel on TSE (CJD) and from world experts in the UK, who have dealt with similar cases in the UK and worldwide.

The review has identified a small number of patients who may have a slightly higher risk of contracting CJD than people in the general population. The exact number involved has not been made public in order to protect patient confidentiality. The relevant experts consider that the risk to these patients is minimal as transmission of CJD via surgical instrument is very rare, with no recorded cases in the past 30 years. The patients have been contacted and appropriate clinical responses are in place.