CHI defends CEO's silence on spinal surgery controversy

Senior clinicians in the CHI hospital group have made statements and answered questions on what occurred at the hospital. Yesterday a spokeswoman insisted this is because the crisis centres on patient safety and clinical matters'. Picture: Sasko Lazarov/RollingNews.ie

Children’s Health Ireland has defended the group CEO’s silence so far on the controversy centred on spinal surgery at Temple Street, saying Eilish Hardiman is working closely with the HSE.

An external review into aspects of complex spinal surgery for 19 children with spina bifida was announced by the HSE on Monday, but Ms Hardiman has not addressed the public’s growing concerns.

Instead senior clinicians in the CHI hospital group have made statements and answered questions on what occurred at the hospital. Yesterday a spokeswoman insisted this is because the crisis centres on “patient safety and clinical matters”. She said: 

Typically, when seeking to communicate the issues to the public and importantly, to provide reassurance to the hundreds of thousands of families and children who receive care in a CHI facility each year, a clinician is the primary spokesperson.

She reiterated that CHI welcome the HSE external review, saying this will build on information shared in reports published earlier this week by the hospital group.

“The executive and clinical teams are working closely with the HSE on all matters and will collaborate fully on aspects of the review,” she said.

“The CEO and other relevant executive and clinical leaders will be meeting the reviewer when he arrives in Dublin.” 

HSE CEO Bernard Gloster said he expects to meet with the external reviewer Mr Selvadurai Nayagam on Monday week.

Clinical director with CHI Dr Ike Okefor has been representing the hospital publicly. 

Yesterday, he told RTÉ the focus of the HSE-commissioned reviews “will be mostly centred around the care that was provided by one individual surgeon”. He also reiterated that this review team will talk to families. 

Surgery concerns 

This issue arose as some families of the 19 children have spoken of their disappointment at not having been fully included in previous reviews commissioned or carried out by CHI itself.

Indeed the family of 10-year-old Dollceanna Carter, who has died since her spinal surgery, said they have been “broken” by the revelations.

A central issue is concern around a high rate of unplanned follow-on surgeries and complications.

The highest number of returns to theatre noted by a review published by CHI was 33 with a mean of 11 among these children. Dr Okefor said while some complications can be expected with this complex surgery, that 33 is “ a fairly significant number”.

However, he moved to reassure parents, saying while the most complex type of spinal surgery has been suspended, other types continue at their sister site in Crumlin.

“Last year we did over 500 spinal surgeries, 500,” he said. 

“That’s probably the average of what we do each year, so you are looking at over the period that was reviewed, we probably did over 2,000 spinal surgeries. And we are looking at a small cohort of children (in these reviews).” 

He also said: “On behalf of CHI and on behalf of myself, we are really sorry and we want to apologise to all the families and children who have been affected, and that we are doing our best to ensure that things get better.”