Vol. 574 No. 5
137 Mr. M. Higgins asked the Minister for Health and Children when he expects to receive the report of the independent review into the circumstances of the death of a person (details supplied) on 1 July 2003 having been sent home by Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children in Crumlin due to a shortage of nurses for the intensive care unit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27555/03]
On 23 July last, I announced that I had convened a review panel to conduct an independent review of the events surrounding the tragic death of Roisín Ruddle.
The members of the panel are Mr. David Hanly, management consultant; Ms Kay O'Sullivan, director of nursing at Cork University Hospital and Dr. Shakeel A. Qureshi, paediatric cardiologist at Guy's and Thomas's Hospital, London.
The terms of reference of the panel are to consider the report of the ERHA in relation to the events of 30 June 2003 at Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children, Dublin, and to make such further inquiries and conduct such interviews as the panel considers necessary to address the questions raised by the family; to examine protocols and procedures relevant to this incident having regard to prevailing standards of best practice, and to examine their application in this case; to report to the Minister and to make such recommendations as it sees fit. Following the review, both reports will be made available.
The work of the review panel is ongoing and I am not in a position to say, at this stage, when it will become available.
