Sacking CHI board would not help in any shape or form, Taoiseach says

By Cillian Sherlock, PA

Disbanding the board of Children’s Health Ireland would not help “in any shape or form”, the Taoiseach has said.

It comes after Labour said the CHI board “must go” in the wake of a report into the experimental use of non-medical grade springs in child spine surgeries at CHI Temple Street.

The report from the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) said the use of the springs was “wrong” and highlighted failures around governance, communication, consent and safeguards in processes.

After publication, the chairman of CHI’s board, Dr Jim Browne, offered “sincere apologies” and resigned.

However, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said on Wednesday that getting rid of the rest of the board would further weaken governance – but said overall structures in paediatric care should be examined in the medium-to-long term.

Speaking in the Dáil, Mr Martin “There needs to be new chairperson appointed – you actually need a board to do that.

“And I know that some people have called to just disband the board. That would not help the situation right now, in any shape or form.

“That will weaken governance even further and could lead to further difficulties and challenges.”

During Leaders’ Questions, Labour leader Ivana Bacik said that of the 233 children waiting for spinal surgeries at the end of February, 43 had been more than six months – with 15 of those on a list for over a year.

She said these children are in “agony”, adding: “It is a national shame on us all that they are kept waiting so long.”

Ms Bacik said the HIQA report raised uncertainty that CHI will ever be able to fulfil a commitment to provide the surgeries within four months, adding that Dr Browne’s resignation “further confirms doubts and concerns”.

She added: “Some commentators are suggesting the problems at CHI start and end with the actions of one rogue surgeon. But while the details of reckless experimentation are horrifying, clearly, the problems at CHI go deeper than that.”

Ms Bacik said the HIQA reports indicates “systemic failures at a broader level” and a “dysfunctional culture”.

She asked the Taoiseach if he believed the board had the capability to implement the report’s recommendations, provide safe surgeries and manage the transition to new National Children’s Hospital.

Mr Martin said what had happened was “wrong”, “unacceptable” and “incomprehensible”, adding: “It is beyond belief that one would insert devices into a child that’s not CE-approved.”

He also told the Dáil that he fully understands the trauma experienced by families waiting for surgeries.

He said there had been increased activity in child spinal surgeries and a reduction in waiting times, but added there was a need to do more.

“It is not where it should be and we’re going to continue to press ahead.”

Responding to the question on confidence in the board, Mr Martin said Government was awaiting further reports from other ongoing reviews into child surgeries and added: “Meanwhile, the work has to continue in CHI.”

He told opposition TDs that there had to be “absolute focus” on optimising the transition to the New Children’s Hospital.

The Taoiseach said: “No-one’s happy with this, obviously, and I’m certainly not happy.”

He added: “In a medium to longer term, we do need to look at the overall structures governing paediatric care.”

Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill later told the Dáil there was a statutory structure around the board of CHI and added: “I need to get the other two reports. I need to consider the governance in the round, because, as the Taoiseach said earlier, we need to have a functional system to be able to work towards the opening of the Children’s Hospital.

“But I am open to looking at everything in the round.”

Social Democrats deputy leader Cian O’Callaghan said a “litany of failures” raises serious questions about whether CHI is fit for purpose.

“Medical experiments were conducted on children in our major paediatric hospital. Corrosive springs were inserted to bodies of extremely vulnerable children. No ethical approval was sought for the use of these springs, and the families did not give informed consent for these procedures.”

Mr O’Callaghan said the matter could not be viewed in isolation and referenced a separate audit of paediatric hip dysplasia surgeries which said hundreds of children operated on between 2021 and 2023 did not meet the threshold for the procedure.

He questioned the Taoiseach’s decision to rule out a public inquiry into governance failures at CHI.

Mr Martin said there was a need to reflect on whether inquiries were the best model to investigate these issues.

He said half a billion euro had been spent on inquiries since 1998, adding: “There is an ethical question as to whether those resources could be spent or should be targeted for existing services of children living today, right across social, healthcare and education services.

“Inevitably, victims or those who seek inquiries don’t get closure from the inquiries, are not as happy with the outcome of the inquiries at the end of it. Many of them are taking years and costing millions.”

Mr Martin added that a Paediatric Spinal Taskforce had been established.