Departmental Investigations

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 26 May 2010

Wednesday, 26 May 2010

Questions (141)

Pat Rabbitte

Question:

153 Deputy Pat Rabbitte asked the Minister for Health and Children, further to Parliamentary Question No. 123 of 19 May 2010, that the Health Information and Quality Authority and not Beaumont Hospital itself should commission the inquiry into whether Beaumont Hospital complies with the minimum safety standards prescribed by the Joint Committee on Higher Surgical Training; if she acknowledges that it would be unsatisfactory to have the hospital inquiring into its own standards; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22187/10]

Written answers

Minister for Health and Children (Deputy Mary Harney)

I understand from contacts made with the Deputy's office that his question refers to an individual case. While the Health Information and Quality Authority has no plans to commence an investigation in this instance, it has recommended to Beaumont Hospital that it secure an external expert to review the particular case.

The Authority is engaging with Beaumont Hospital and Cork University Hospital (which also provides neurosurgical services) on an ongoing basis and is supporting their development of national guidelines on the treatment of neurosurgical patients. The Authority is also currently drafting National Standards for Safer, Better Health Care which will be available for public consultation later in the year. The aim of these standards is to provide top-level guidance for both service users and providers on the provision of good quality health care. The Joint Committee on Higher Surgical Training is a training body and is not responsible for national standards for service delivery.