Minister must address families’ concerns over CHI investigation says Sherlock

Labour health spokesperson Marie Sherlock has called on the Minister for Health to address patients’ and families’ concerns following the publication of Remi Farrell SC’s report on the scoping exercise into spina bifida and complex scoliosis care at Children’s Health Ireland (CHI).

The Dublin Central TD said that the recommendation for a Commission of Investigation “falls short in ensuring that we use this once-in-a-generation opportunity to comprehensively uncover years of systemic culture and governance issues in CHI hospitals, which allowed for significant failures and harm to patients and their families.”

“I am deeply concerned that it could take years to establish the Commission. The investigation must be timely, but it must also examine all the factors that led to children being failed. I recognise the need for any investigation, be it public or private, to be timely, but it cannot compromise the need for a thorough investigation of all factors that led to children being failed and harmed,” the Labour health spokesperson said.

Sherlock said, “there is no convincing reason to exclude children treated at CHI hospitals before 2019, or matters arising before then. These problems did not suddenly begin in 2019. Administrative convenience cannot determine whose experiences are heard. This is extremely serious.”

“There is an understandable distrust between patients, their families and structures that runs extremely deep. Resistance to participation must be taken very seriously by the Minister and changes must be made to the establishment of the Commission of Investigation if we are to build trust. The investigation must be patient-centred, while of course protecting the children involved.

Sherlock said that families’ confidence was further damaged by the confidentiality placed on documents provided by hospital management and clinicians to the scoping exercise, which prevented them from being shared with patient groups.

“Any inquiry, public or private, will only be effective as the participation of those involved, which is why the Minister must ensure changes are made to the proposed Commission of Investigation. The Commission will only succeed if those affected can participate with confidence that their experiences will be heard and fully examined.”