Review of child hip surgery cases to begin in January, HSE confirms

Temple Street hospital in Dublin (Niall Carson/PA)

A review of the individual cases of children who may have undergone unnecessary hip surgeries will not take place until January, the HSE has confirmed.

It comes after a clinical audit of surgeries for dysplasia of the hips in children found that a lower threshold for operations was used at CHI Temple Street hospital and the National Orthopaedic Hospital Cappagh (NOHC) than the threshold used at CHI Crumlin.

The review discovered that in the period 2021 to 2023, almost 80% of children operated on at the NOHC, and 60% of those at Temple Street, did not meet the threshold for surgery.

In a statement, the HSE said an expert review is being commissioned and the independent panel will be convened to review patient files “to determine, in so far as possible, the appropriateness of the original decision to operate in individual cases”.

It said this would be based on the “appropriate radiological indices and clinical history” of the cases.

An international call for experts to apply for the panel closed on Friday and saw submissions from Ireland, the UK, the US, Canada, Asia, and other parts of Europe.

The HSE said these submissions will be subject to a shortlisting and recruitment process prior to the formal announcement of the panel, which is expected to convene in September.

It is also negotiating terms and conditions for an independent international expert to chair the panel who has already been identified, adding that their name will be published “in due course”.

The HSE added: “It is expected that the review of individual cases will commence in January. This timeline reflects the complexity of the work involved and the need to ensure a rigorous and comprehensive approach.

“This is a highly complex piece of work that requires sufficient time for planning and preparation. As such the following steps are in progress.”

The HSE said it had “engaged meaningfully with patient advocates” and a workshop is being scheduled to progress terms of reference for the review.

The Hip Dysplasia Advocacy Group, acting for children who may have undergone unnecessary surgeries, met CHI and HSE officials last Thursday.

It said it was told the HSE is aiming for a six-month timeframe for the process.

In a statement, it said: “There has yet to be any correspondence surrounding the retrospective review from the HSE to the families of the children who are potentially affected.

“We, the advocacy group, relayed this information to the families immediately post our meeting. Representatives from the Hip Dysplasia Advocacy Group said that this is unacceptable.

“There needs to be full transparency between the HSE and the families regarding these reviews, everyone is left completely in the dark.”

It added that the HSE is yet to confirm the criteria it will use to assess the children’s need for surgery.

“A member from the HSE has suggested it will be determined by the expert panel when they are appointed.

“We have asked for the HSE to issue an update to all families involved as the lack of correspondence to parents is unacceptable. They have been left in limbo.”