Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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633. To ask the Minister for Health the discussions between his Department and the State Claims Agency regarding any pattern of claims arising from Portlaoise general hospital, County Laois, over the past seven years; the action taken by his Department arising from these discussions in the interest of patient safety; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19920/15]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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As part of his research while compiling his Report, HSE Midland Regional Hospital Portlaoise Perinatal deaths (2006-date) the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) obtained relevant reports from the State Claims Agency (SCA) in relation to all claims reported to the National Adverse Event Reporting System (NAEMS) as having occurred during the period Jan 1st 2006-December 31st 2013. This data was examined in conjunction with all the other data collated by the CMO.

This data, together with the conclusions and recommendations, are set out clearly in the CMO's Report into the HSE Midland Regional Hospital, Portlaoise Perinatal Deaths (2006-date) February, 2014.

Overall the CMO concluded that using the available data including in relation to claims on an ongoing basis is a straightforward and useful way for maternity units to monitor trends, so areas of possible concern for the service can be identified early and actions take as required. It is for this reason that the CMO recommended that the HSE should ensure that every maternity service (and later every health provider) be required to complete a Patient Safety Statement which is published and updated monthly. (Overall Recommendation 10 in CMO's Report.)