Minister vows to meet families after damning Hiqa review of spinal surgeries

An independent statutory review of the use of unapproved implantable springs in spinal surgery at Temple Street Children's University Hospital in Dublin found that devices were implanted into three children and that 'children were not protected from the risk of harm'. Picture: Sasko Lazarov

The health minister has pledged to meet the families impacted by the failed procedures at Temple Street hospital that led to unauthorised springs being inserted into children's bodies during spinal operations.

A report by health watchdog Hiqa into the scandal included sharp criticism of the procedures and governance at Children’s Health Ireland, which oversees the hospital.

Parents and advocacy groups have said children were used in an unauthorised experiment.

Amanda Coughlan-Santry, co-founder of the spina bifida hydrocephalus paediatric advocacy group, contacted the minister’s office on March 18 to request a meeting. 

The group is concerned that the experiences of families are not being taken into account.

“The scope of the Hiqa report was very narrow, but it still threw up a lot of red flags,” she said.

“We met Hiqa when they were working on the report, and we asked to raise other issues but they were not part of the scope of this review.” 

A spokeswoman for Jennifer Carroll MacNeill said on Friday she will meet with all advocacy groups in the coming weeks and has asked her officials to engage in this regard.

On Thursday, she attended a meeting of the paediatric spinal taskforce and met families from Scoliosis Awareness & Support Ireland.

“The minister heard directly from them about the impact that the publication of the Hiqa report had on their trust in the system and on the hurt that they have experienced over the years,” the minister's office said in a statement.

There will be statements on the scandal in the Dáil on April 29.

The families of the children affected have described the Hiqa findings as “deeply concerning and frankly, unacceptable”.

The latest figures from Children's Health Ireland show 288 children are on spinal surgery waiting lists. 

Head of the spinal surgery management unit, David Moore, said they expect to have an additional consultant spinal surgeon by the summer.

Other staff are also to be hired.

“We acknowledge the publication of the Hiqa report this week, and do not underestimate the impact that this has on the families affected,” he said.

“The spinal surgery management unit will continue to develop and implement important quality measures and patient education resources.” 

Meanwhile, separate data shows that, across all hospitals, the number of patients waiting for care rose again despite improvements for those waiting the longest. 

The data for March shows 580,000 patients waiting for their first outpatient appointment in hospitals across the country.

There were also over 97,000 waiting for in-patient treatment.

The Department of Health said: “We continue to see the impact of winter pressures in the figures."