The inquiry into scoliosis and spina bifida care in Children’s Health Ireland must be more than a box ticking exercise which results in a report devoid of solutions, according to Social Democrats health spokesperson Pádraig Rice.
Deputy Rice said:
“I welcome the government’s commitment to hold this public inquiry into CHI, however, it must be ensured that it is informed by advocacy groups and families who have been affected by failures in the care of children with scoliosis and spina bifida.
“The inquiry must be conducted in a comprehensive and efficient manner, and a report must be drawn up in a timely fashion – too many inquiries have been defined by endless delays and huge expenses.
“Harvery Morrison’s parents, Gillian and Stephen, have campaigned tirelessly since the tragic passing of their son to ensure what happened to Harvey doesn’t happen to anyone else.
“As a result of their dedication and the tireless campaigning of other parents, the terms of reference of the inquiry are to be drawn up in collaboration with parental advocacy groups, the Scoliosis Advocacy Network, and the Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus Paediatric Advocacy Group.
“This is of utmost importance – the inclusion of these voices in shaping the inquiry is absolutely essential to its efficacy.
“Now, the Minister for Health must outline a detailed timeline for moving forward with this inquiry – the government cannot delay in this regard.
“Report after report have revealed a multitude of failings in CHI – the recently announced integration of CHI into the HSE is a welcome, but hardly surprising, development.
“This inquiry is the bare minimum the children and their parents who have been affected by CHI’s litany of systemic failures are due – it must move fast and provide real accountability once and for all.
“In the meantime, we cannot lose sight of the fact that families are still being failed by a broken paediatric orthopaedic service in this country – work must be accelerated to improve services for children with spina bifida and scoliosis.
“The inquiry, while necessary, must not be seen as a barrier or delay to fixing services in the short-term and delivering timely access to care – there is no room for retrograde steps.
“The Government must also state when the Nayagam Review, commissioned two years ago, will finally be published.”
September 20th, 2025