Strain of merging three children’s hospitals a factor in Children’s Health Ireland crisis, says Hiqa

The planned merger into the new children’s hospital was described as 'probably the biggest change management project in the entire country at this time'. File photo: Leah Farrell / © RollingNews.ie

The pressure staff are under to merge the three children’s hospitals into one is “definitely” a factor in the crisis facing Children’s Health Ireland now, Hiqa has warned.

A report from the regulator on implanting of unapproved metal springs into children’s spines during operations described by a surgeon as “bespoke and experimental” also raises serious concerns about governance at CHI generally.