Scoliosis: 'There was no one to look at Brianna's back, and no one would tell us anything'

Catriona Phelan told the 'Irish Examiner' after a procedure in Temple Street in January, her daughter had no further treatment for months and the family got no response to their queries. Picture: Sasko Lazarov/RollingNews

When Catriona Phelan’s nine-year-old daughter saw her spinal surgeon in January, she expected to return to CHI at Temple Street in March.

However, no appointments were issued.

Eight months later her daughter’s care was moved to CHI at Crumlin. She only found out why this week when a series of reports were published by the hospital and the HSE announced an external review into spinal care at Temple Street.

Brianna Phelan-Somers has spina bifida hydrocephalus and scoliosis.

In December, she had a growth-rod attached to her spine, a common treatment for scoliosis.

“This rod grows with her, so every three to four months you go back and they lengthen the rod to whatever height she grew,” Catriona said.

“We knew that. So we got the growth rod in December, then in January she had the staples out and she hasn’t been seen since in Temple Street.” 

Catriona spent a lot of time contacting the hospital. She said: 

We were ringing and everything, to find out why she hadn’t gone up to get the growth rod done And we were told that ‘we will get back to you, we will send you out an appointment’, the whole shebang.

In May, Brianna developed a large blister on her shoulder which their public health nurses recommended for hospital attention.

“I sent them emails, pictures of the blister and I was told to go up,” she said. 

“I was due to go to a spina bifida clinic and they said a consultant would be there to look at that blister.” 

However she said: "There was no one there to look at Brianna’s back where the surgery was done, nobody whatsoever. 

We asked why isn’t [the surgeon's] team here and they just said ‘they’re not here’. No one told us anything.  

She emailed the patient feedback and support unit. “They said ‘sorry about that, someone will ring you in the next week or two’. Nothing, absolutely no phone calls,” she said.

Then August came.

“We got a phone call, saying that we had moved from Temple Street to Crumlin, under a new consultant for spinal surgeries,” she said.

"That’s the first we heard from anybody. Eight months and we hadn’t heard anything."

Brianna is now being treated by a different surgeon, and her mother praised staff for helping them adjust.

The Phelans, from Kilkenny, only eventually found out why their doctor was changed at the same time as the public, reading the hospitals’ reports this week.

CHI clarified that the surgeon in question ceased complex spinal surgery during November 2022, then ceased all spinal surgery in May 2023 and ceased all surgeries in July 2023.

Catriona also raised concerns about gaps in communication on Brianna’s involvement in a review by Boston Children’s Hospital, published this week by CHI.

“Everybody got letters stating their child was involved in this review,” she said. “We didn’t until I rang the spinal nurse in February and she said Brianna is part of the review, it’s in the letter.” 

She was aware the review was taking place, but said “communication stopped” around her daughter’s involvement.