Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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697. To ask the Minister for Health his views on claims made by parents of babies who died at the Midland Regional Hospital, Portlaoise, County Laois, at the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health and Children on 19 May 2015 that the director general of the Health Service Executive is misinforming the public about these events, that the executive management team is clearly incapable and cannot be trusted to implement this or previous Health Information and Quality Authority reports, and that the executive covered up warning signs regarding baby deaths at the hospital. [20429/15]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I have fully accepted the recommendations contained in the recent HIQA Report into Portlaoise Hospital. Since the publication of the Chief Medical Officer’s Report on Portlaoise last year, much has been done to strengthen services in the hospital, and HIQA has acknowledged this. New management is in place, with significantly improved clinical governance and additional key clinical staff have been appointed.

Portlaoise Hospital is now part of the Dublin Midlands Hospital Group and the Government is committed to securing and further developing the role of the Hospital. Any change to its services will be undertaken in a planned and orderly manner guided by what is best in terms of patient safety and outcomes. It is not appropriate to comment further at this time, other than to note that a number of staff have had complaints made to their professional regulatory bodies, in relation to their involvement in care in Portlaoise. These will be investigated in line with standard procedures and due process will apply. In addition, the HSE is finalising an investigation, in line with its Code of Governance and Disciplinary Procedures, which may result in disciplinary action being taken against individuals involved.

I have made enforcement of the implementation of HIQA recommendations a clear priority within the priorities I outlined earlier this year. Informed by the recommendations contained in the published HIQA investigation reports on various hospital services and based on analysis and internal discussions on patient safety priorities, I have come to the conclusion that providing a national focus for patient safety is best achieved by strengthening the patient safety role and functions of my Department. I intend to develop a significantly enhanced patient safety function within my Department with a clear mandate to provide the required leadership, direction and oversight for national improvements in patient safety, clinical effectiveness and patient experience. The policy oversight for this function will be integrated within the existing system of accountability which operates through me as Minister for Health.

The Authority's Report further recommends that I should establish an oversight committee in the Department to ensure that the Portlaoise Report's recommendations are implemented. I have approved the membership, terms of reference and reporting arrangements of the committee which will be chaired by the Chief Medical Officer. The HSE will submit a plan and timetable to implement the recommendations; this plan will be used by the oversight committee to monitor the HSE's progress on implementation.

Finally, I plan to establish a fully independent national advocacy service. The scope, role and functions of the independent advocacy service will be considered along with the appropriate structural, governance and funding arrangements that need to be put in place. My Department will be consulting widely on the best way to get the service up and running in the shortest possible timeframe.