Delays to Tallaght Hospital management reform damaging

THE whistle-blower who exposed Tallaght Hospital’s x-ray scandal has claimed delays in making key management changes called for by reviews into the crisis are continuing to damage the facility.

Prof Tom O’Dowd, a Tallaght- based GP, said management restructuring delays are linked to the Health Information and Quality Authority’s (HIQA) recent announcement that it is investigating emergency department issues at the hospital.

Prof O’Dowd, who heads the department of general practice at Trinity College, said that despite two official reports since January 2010 noting the need for a smaller permanent management board and the appointment of a GP to the group, these changes have not taken place.