Midwife’s backers wants HSE’s spend investigated

A support group for midwife Philomena Canning has written to the Public Accounts Committee requesting an investigation into the loss of public money in the process that saw Ms Canning suspended from work and subsequently reinstated.

The group outlines the money spent by the HSE in a High Court action brought by Ms Canning, the opening of two investigations, which are now redundant, and the retention of experts in midwifery to fight a further legal action by Ms Canning.

Philomena Canning, a midwife with a perfect record for her more than 30 years in practice, had her indemnity insurance suspended by the HSE last September pending an investigation. At the time she had 29 clients who had engaged her services for home births.

Last month, days ahead of a scheduled Court of Appeal hearing appealing her suspension, the HSE reinstated her indemnity.

The letter to members of the PAC was signed by Ciara Considine, spokeswoman for the Philomena Canning campaign, and Kysia Lynch, chairwoman of the Associations for Improvements to the Maternity Services, to “convey our grave concerns about the apparent lack of any accountability on the part of the HSE for the costs incurred in the unlawful suspension of midwife Philomena Canning”.

The letter outlines the circumstances behind Ms Canning’s suspension which was alleged to be connected to two incidents at home births, despite testimony from both mothers that Ms Canning’s care was of the highest order.

Ms Canning has long claimed that if there was any issue around her professional competence it was a matter for the nursing board, An Bord Áltranais, rather than the HSE.

To this end, Ms Canning is pursuing a legal action based on her claims that individuals within the HSE were pursuing an agenda against her.

The letter to the PAC claims that, rather than referring an allegation to the board, the HSE official “opted to commission and chair a high-cost, resource- instance systems analysis investigation into Ms Canning’s practice”.

“He took that decision in the absence of any attempt to satisfy himself by way of obtaining appropriate clinical opinion of a valid basis for the expenditure involved,” the letter said.

“Between them, they have involved the commitment of resources to support four investigators, yet six months have already passed and there is no sign of the product of their work.”

An opinion is also expressed in the letter that the PAC should investigate this matter, as the HSE is likely to settle any legal action, which would ensure the facts in the whole case would never come to light.

The call for an investigation by the PAC comes days after it was revealed that the HSE has paid out €67m in the last five years for medical malpractice in childbirth procedures.

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