Adversarial cases make a mockery of the HSE’s open-disclosure policy

These seven high-profile cases from 2015 show that the HSE has a long way to go in translating policy into practice, writes Catherine Shanahan

OWNING up to mistakes is a message the Health Service Executive (HSE) has been spreading since the launch of its open-disclosure policy in November, 2013.

In addition to a national policy, it has provided guidelines, support booklets for patients and training for staff. Yet, two years on, the evidence from the High Court shows that admissions of liability remain notoriously hard to come by, while apologies are as rare as the air on Mercury.