Stunning revelations of multiple failures within CHI from 2021 inquiry
Stunning revelations of multiple failures within CHI from 2021 inquiry - The Labour Party
- CHI must publish internal inquiry immediately.
- After the Boston report and the HIQA review, it is beyond disgraceful that CHI and Department of Health appear to have been kept in the dark about other damning internal inquiries.
- NTPF must respond to allegation of abuse of public money and external audit of its procedures must be considered.
- Minister must consider Scally inquiry type of review of systems in CHI.
Responding to the revelations in the Sunday Times today, Labour Party Health spokesperson Deputy Marie Sherlock has said the reported findings of a 2021 internal inquiry reflect a stunning catalogue of clinical governance failures at CHI.
Deputy Sherlock said:
“The dripfeed of information regarding CHI over recent days is deeply concerning. There appears to be no accountability and it is deeply unclear just what has been going on in CHI over recent years.
“Public money appears to have been abused though the misuse of the NTPF and, most distressingly, children who could have been treated within six months if the correct procedures were followed, instead ended up on a 13 month waiting list. They missed vital windows for intervention for their condition, something that is truly incredible.
“CHI must move to publish this internal inquiry immediately in order to confirm the veracity of these reports.
“Critically, it must confirm whether or not the surgeon in question is under investigation by the Medical Council.
“Failure to have initiated this process would indicated that CHI is an even greater disarray that we have previously imagined.
“The Chair of the Board of CHI is accountable to the Minister. Yet the Department appears to claim that it had no knowledge of what was going on.
“On RTÉ Radio One today, Bernard Gloster, the CEO of the HSE, has confirmed that he too had no knowledge of what was happening at CHI. He also indicated that the current chairperson of CHI may have had either no knowledge or partial knowledge. This is really incredible.
“Given that CHI has been subject to so much scrutiny in recent years with the Boston report, the HIQA review and the Nayagam review, it beyond disgraceful that this internal review would not have been disclosed to those at the top of the HSE and the Department of Health.
“The Minister has acted swiftly to appoint HSE board members to the board of CHI, this is very welcome but it’s crucial that there will now be enhanced operational oversight of CHI by the HSE.
“I believe this must go further.
“The Minister must compel CHI to stop the appalling dripfeed of revelations, ensure all inquiries into wrongdoing are published, ensure full operational oversight by the HSE of CHI and move to appoint a Scally review type of inquiry into how overall systems can be improved across CHI.
“To date, the various reports have only looked into individual departments within hospitals in the CHI group. It appears that a system wide review is now warranted.”