HSE still to investigate own role in child deaths

THE HSE will still be in charge of investigating itself in certain cases of child death under new proposals to be published next week.

The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) confirmed yesterday its board has approved guidelines on a child death review mechanism and it intends to publish them next week.

The document is entitled Guidance for the Health Service Executive for the Review of Serious Incidents, including Deaths of Children in Care, indicating that the new method of probing child deaths will not be left to an independent body, as demanded by the Ombudsman for Children last year.