LUCY NUGENT, THE CEO of Children’s Health Ireland (CHI), has made multiple apologies before the Oireachtas Health Committee for practices and failures that have occurred within the hospital group. 

Nugent apologised to families over the improper use of springs in children’s spinal surgeries, unnecessary hip surgeries having taken place on children, and for CHI being unable to publish an internal report which details children who needed time sensitive treatment being placed on long waiting lists despite faster options being available.

Nugent told the committee that failures within CHI “have led to great pain being inflicted upon some of those who were in our care”. 

“I say to you, I say to the children of families impacted, that I am sorry. I’m sorry on behalf of management of Children’s Health Ireland, and I’m sorry on behalf of the entire organisation,” she said. 

Nugent also apologised over the use of unauthorised springs in three children who underwent spinal surgery. 

“I would like to acknowledge and give full recognition to the families who are impacted by the recent HIQA report relating to the use of unauthorised springs in three children,” she said.

What happened should not have happened, and children should have been protected from harm. We are deeply and unreservedly sorry to those families.

“We do not underestimate the impact that this has had and is having on the families affected, and the distress that it has caused to all patients and families in the spinal service.”

She said that between January and May of this year, 254 procedures have been added to the spinal surgery wait list. So far this year, 210 spinal surgeries have been performed.

Nugent told the committee that the family of a child who underwent hip dysplasia surgery and suffered complications as a result have now been informed and supported through an open disclosure process. 

An audit published last month found that in the Cappagh and Temple Street children’s hospitals in many cases children were operated on despite not reaching the threshold for needing hip surgery. 

Nugent told tell the committee that multi-disciplinary teams are already seeing impacted children and their families for once-off reviews of their care in order to determine the current “clinical state” of each patient. 

“To date, 150 appointments have been offered, with 60 patients seen,” she said.  

A system is now underway which will see children’s cases discussed by a wider multi-disciplinary, cross-site team, which will determine collectively what treatment they need. 

Unpublished report

On the unpublished report that has been leaked to the media and politicians, which details an apparent breach of NTPF guidelines for insourcing in one CHI hospital, Nugent apologised that the hospital group cannot make the entire report public. 

“It is not in any way our intention to hide the truth or to hide behind legalities to avoid disclosure,” she said.

She said a redacted or anonymised version of the report was considered, “but it would not make sense to those who have not seen the leaked confidential report”. 

“It is simply our legal duty not to publish the report” she said.

Nugent said she hopes the committee notes “that we have provided a summary of the report, which ensures compliance with our legal advice, while at the same time providing as much detail as possible relating to the report’s content and importantly”.

“We take our accountability to the public and families extremely seriously,” she added. 

Families who have been impacted by these failures and scandals are in the gallery of the committee to witness Nugent and other CHI officials answer questions from politicians.

Sinn Féin’s health spokesperson David Cullinane said that what was happening within CHI is “frightening, and families feel very let down”. 

The HSE referred the unpublished report to gardaí and the Irish Medical Council. Cullinane asked who had referred the unpublished report to gardaí. Kate Killeen-White, a regional executive officer of the HSE, confirmed that she had. 

She said that CHI have “verbalised an opinion” since she referred the report to gardaí that “it doesn’t meet the threshold for referral”. 

“I find that extraordinary,” Cullinane said, adding that he can’t accept that there is “any cultural shift within CHI”. 

“To say that you have a lot of work to do is an understatement,” he told Nugent.