No HSE audit of child deaths pre-2000

THE Health Service Executive says it will not carry out an audit of children who died in statecare prior to 2000.

The decision has been labelled as “unacceptable” by one TD.

Earlier this year, the HSE admitted that 188 young people died over the past decade while being supported by or having just finished contact with social services.

The figure came to light after the HSE embarked on an audit of deaths in care since 2000 by examining both its own files and the files relating to the former health boards that preceded the organisation.

Sinn Féin TD Caoimhghín O Caoláin subsequently called for the HSE to conduct a similar audit of children who died in care during the 1990s.

But the HSE has written to Mr O Caoláin informing him that it does not intend to do so.

“The HSE have no plans at present to conduct an audit of children who died in care in the decade previous to the current audit,” senior HSE official Bernard Gloster said.

Mr O Caoláin said it was an unacceptable response.

“The HSE and the health boards before them have a history of failing children both in their care and at-risk children whose situations they were aware of,” he said.

“Previously I had questioned the HSE as to the number of children who had died in their care and they refused to provide me with the figures, stating that the information was ‘difficult to collate’. Quite simply, they did not know how many children they allowed to die in their care.

“The only reason the HSE established the current review was because of the public outrage following revelations that the number of deaths in care was much higher than the HSE were letting on, after the death of Danny Talbot. The HSE failed him just as they failed the children in the Roscommon case, Sophia McColgan, Tracey Fay and David Foley,” Mr O Caoláin added.

“Given the fact there seems to be a new case emerging every few months regarding horrific failures by the HSE and their predecessors, it is not unreasonable – in fact it is imperative – to request an inquiry into deaths of children in previous decades.”

The files examined for the audit showed 188 young people, ranging from babies up to 21 years of age, had died since 2000 while being supported by or having just finished contact with social services.