Children\u2019s Health Ireland (CHI) must immediately act on the findings of damning report into the use of surgical implants and implantable medical devices at its hospitals, including Temple Street, according to Social Democrats TD P\u00e1draig Rice.<\/p>\n
Deputy Rice, who is the party\u2019s spokesperson on health, said:<\/p>\n
\u201cToday\u2019s report from the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) identifies serious failings in governance, oversight and communications at CHI. These are all issues that have dogged the organisation since its inception in 2018.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is important to remember that at the centre of this scandal are three children who had unauthorised springs implanted during spinal surgeries \u2013 and they have been utterly failed by CHI.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese springs should have never even made it into the surgical theatre, let alone the bodies of young children.<\/p>\n
\u201cAccording to HIQA\u2019s findings, the non-alloyed spring steel used in these surgeries are \u2018known to corrode in the presence of moisture and there is very limited information available on its use or the risks of its use for implantation\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cShockingly, the arrangements in place for the use of medical devices and surgical implants were not standardised across CHI, and where arrangements existed, there were unclear lines of reporting and accountability.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe report also found that culture and communication continues to be a major issue across CHI, something that is also being reviewed in greater detail in the external review into spinal surgery led by Dr Nayagam.<\/p>\n
\u201cHowever, despite being commissioned in September 2023, there is still no definitive timeline for the completion of this second review. We know that parents are still receiving letters telling them that their child\u2019s case will be included in the review.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe 19 recommendations set out in HIQA\u2019s report today must now be acted on by CHI and the HSE, with clear timelines for their implementation.<\/p>\n
\u201cSeparately, it was also reported today that, back in February, the Minister for Health had called on CHI to agree and finalise the workforce requirements for the new National Children\u2019s Hospital. It is deeply concerning \u2013 and frankly unforgiveable \u2013 that this has not yet been done, just months before the keys to the hospital are due to be handed over to CHI.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have now seen multiple controversies involving CHI, including long waiting times for scoliosis surgery; delays in appointing a new chief executive; concerns over how money earmarked for scoliosis surgery was spent elsewhere; and a lack of preparedness for the opening of the new children\u2019s hospital.<\/p>\n
“There are now serious questions over governance at CHI and their capacity to effectively manage the National Children’s Hospital. The Oireachtas Health Committee must be urgently established so that CHI can be brought before it to answer questions about their repeated failures of governance and care, as well as their readiness to operate the new hospital.”<\/p>\n
April 8, 2025<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Children\u2019s Health Ireland (CHI) must immediately act on the findings of damning report into the use of surgical implants and implantable medical devices at its hospitals, including Temple Street, according to Social Democrats TD P\u00e1draig Rice. Deputy Rice, who is the party\u2019s spokesperson on health, said: \u201cToday\u2019s report from the Health Information and Quality Authority […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":11725,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[540,11,642,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12075","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-children","category-health","category-padraig-rice","category-press-release"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n