HSE names new members of Savita investigation team

By Aoife Barry

Members of the public gathered outside Leinster House this evening calling for legislation to be introduced to deal with the issue of abortion after the death of Savita Halappanavar

Image: Laura Hutton/Photocall Ireland

21/11/12 6,913 Views 24 Comments

THE HSE HAS named the new members of the team investigating the death of Savita Halappanavar in the University Hospital Galway, and the terms of reference for the inquiry.

The Chairman of the Investigation Team, Professor Sir Sabaratnam Arulkumaran, announced the three experts who will join the team:

Professor James Walker, Professor and Honorary Consultant of Obstetrics and Gynaecology in St James’ University Hospital in Leeds, UK
Dr Brian Marsh, Consultant in Intensive Care Medicine, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital and immediate past-Dean, Joint Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine of Ireland
Professor Mary Horgan, Consultant Physician in Cork University Hospital and Professor in the School of Medicine, University College Cork

The newly constituted team will operate within the Draft Terms of Reference below. The HSE said that Sir Prof Sabaratnam Arulkumaran’s “experience and credentials are beyond reproach”.

The Investigation Team will carry out a thorough, methodical and fair investigation that will seek to establish the facts and to identify any causal or contributory factors that may have influenced the death of Ms Halappanavar.

The HSE said it is keen that Mr Praveen Halappanavar will now engage with the Investigation Team in order to complete this investigation as expeditiously as possible, saying: “The chairman remains open to meeting with Mr Halappanavar.”

Draft Investigation Terms of Reference

Th investigation will be overseen by the National Incident Management Team (NIMT) and the final report will be provided to the National Director of Quality and Patient Safety.

The purpose of the investigation is to:

Establish the factual circumstances leading up to the incident
Identify any key causal factors that may have occurred
Identify the contributory factors that caused the key causal factors
Recommend actions that will address the contributory factors so that the risk of future harm arising from these factors is eliminated or if this is impossible, is reduced as far as is reasonably practicable.

The time frame of this investigation/review will be from Savita Halappanavar’s admission to GUH on 21 October 2012 to her death on 28 October 2012.

Through the chairperson, the investigation team will:

Be afforded the assistance of all relevant staff and other relevant personnel.
Have access to all relevant files and records (subject to any necessary consent/data protection requirements including court applications, where necessary).

Investigation method

The investigation will follow the HSE Guidelines for Systems Analysis Investigation of Incidents and Complaints (QPSD November 2012) and will be cognisant of the rights of all involved to privacy and confidentiality; dignity and respect; due process; and natural and constitutional justice.

The investigation will commence with immediate effect and will be conducted in the shortest timeframe necessary to achieve the purpose of the investigation.

Following completion of the investigation, an anonymised draft report will be prepared by the investigation team outlining the chronology, findings and recommendations. All who participated in the investigation will have an opportunity to give input to the extracts from the report relevant to them.

The anonymised report will be shared with the next of kin and may be published and may be subject to a Freedom of Information request. The report, when finalised, will be presented to the commissioner of the investigation

Read: Savita: Galway University Hospital staff removed from Investigation Team>

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Comments (12 Comments)
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Peter Daly 21/11/12 Comment reported, thank you Report this comment
This whole very tragic and sad event is turning into a circus and farce.

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  Stephanie Fleming 21/11/12 Comment reported, thank you Report this comment
  Much like government’s handling of the constitutional right that could have saved her.
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  Aidan 22/11/12 Comment reported, thank you Report this comment
  Boom!
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Tony O Connor 21/11/12 Comment reported, thank you Report this comment
You can’t please all of the people all of the time. On balance it seems like a reasonable investigation, both in terms of scope and make up. Now let’s just get on with it and focus on what’s important – what, why, who and how not to repeat.

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  Kerry Blake 21/11/12 Comment reported, thank you Report this comment
  Problem is Tony is the following statement “The anonymised report will be shared with the next of kin and may be published and may be subject to a Freedom of Information request. ”
  
  Notice the “may be published” I for 1 will not be surprised if when ever the report is presented we will hear the oft repeated words “on the advice of the AG the report can not be realised” coming from government.
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Les Rock 21/11/12 Comment reported, thank you Report this comment
Why wasn’t this done right at the beginning

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  Ryan oneill 21/11/12 Comment reported, thank you Report this comment
  Because they want a big cover up.
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  Les Rock 21/11/12 Comment reported, thank you Report this comment
  My thoughts too Ryan…i bet they’ll watch prime time through their greasy hands this evening
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  mike 21/11/12 Comment reported, thank you Report this comment
  Because the international expert who heads the investigation requested to have the three Galway doctors.
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Stephanie Fleming 21/11/12 Comment reported, thank you Report this comment
Cue Life Institute article about how the members are biased because they once heard about abortion and formed an educated opinion on it.

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Simon Power 21/11/12 Comment reported, thank you Report this comment
My prediction is that after legal wrangling over the release of the medical records, the findings will be “inconclusive” and the government will kick the can down the road until either there is another election or the Supreme Court make a ruling on the matter over the obvious case that will ensue. Enda Kenny is making a terrible error in allowing his judgment to be clouded by the pro life lobbyists. The State has never witnessed such political cowardice.

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Patrick Kennedy 21/11/12 Comment reported, thank you Report this comment
not that hard to bring in legislation bankers legislation done in 24 hours serious cracks emerging in government over this

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Pat Morris 21/11/12 Comment reported, thank you Report this comment
The husband is correct, sworn public inquiry only road to truth

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  mart_n 21/11/12 Comment reported, thank you Report this comment
  And there may well be one. Nobody has ruled it out; and it’s been said a million times now that any internal inquiry WILL NOT prejudice or affect any subsequent public inquiry.
  
  The HSE need to conduct their own expeditious investigation into what happened. A public inquiry could take a year to get going due to the technicalities and formalities of it. Why people continue to rue the idea of an internal inquiry is beyond me at this stage. Any conclusions it comes to will not be the final words on the matter.
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stephen deegan 21/11/12 Comment reported, thank you Report this comment
But it’s still HSE staff carrying out a HSE investigation.

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  Simon Gaites 21/11/12 Comment reported, thank you Report this comment
  Apart from the independent external members….?
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mart_n 21/11/12 Comment reported, thank you Report this comment
Already some rumblings about the appointment of Brian Marsh due to the Mater’s religious ethos.

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  James Connolly 21/11/12 Comment reported, thank you Report this comment
  There will be ramblings no matter who is appointed. The point is to get going, now that this decision is made, get on with the investigation.
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  Deirdre Mac Mahon 21/11/12 Comment reported, thank you Report this comment
  Don’t understand. Too long out of Ireland. Please explain
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  Deirdre Mac Mahon 22/11/12 Comment reported, thank you Report this comment
  Is it possible that Dr Marsh may have a personal integrity independent of the ethos of the Mater Hospital? Staggering ” rumbling” . Shame on you.
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  mart_n 22/11/12 Comment reported, thank you Report this comment
  I’m not the one criticising his appointment, Deirdre. All I did was point out that people are questioning it.
  
  I’m sure all of those tasked with conducting the inquiry are of the utmost integrity, and the right people for the job.
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THE GRINDER 22/11/12 Comment reported, thank you Report this comment
So a non native is suspicious of an arm of our state. Our minister responsible bulls on regardless. Our prime minister wont be rushed and appeals thru the airways for the bereaved to be reasonable. The ‘enquiry’ is dead in the water as the family want blood on the floor. What goes around comes around. I’m with the family.

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Alison Corcoran 22/11/12 Comment reported, thank you Report this comment
I believe no one from Ireland should investigate Ireland is a small country and all professionals have and always stood together

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Jerry Slattery 22/11/12 Comment reported, thank you Report this comment
This man and his legal team are now begining to lose all credibility.
This enquiry is been led by people from outside of the HSE and made up of people who have nothing to do with the hospital where his wife died and he is now off to the high court to stop it .

you should not be allowed make serious alagations about people and then refuse to help sort out the facts .

I do feel sorry for this man as he is been pulled in all kinds of directions by people who want to milk this for all its worth both financially and politically .

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