The State Claims Agency hosts the National Incident Management System (NIMS) which is the principal source of national data on incident activity for the Irish public health service. Under the National Treasury Management Agency (Amendment) Act 2000 State authorities are obliged to report adverse incidents promptly to the State Claims Agency (SCA). This allows the SCA, in conjunction with State authorities, to identify and analyse developing trends and patterns and to work with the State authorities concerned to develop and implement risk mitigation strategies. It is also important in the investigation of any subsequent claim.
The SCA has informed me that to date, the SCA has made no payments in respect of adverse events relating to the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018.
The delivery of high quality, safe services is a priority within the Irish healthcare system. This is in line with the Sláintecare vision of Right Care. Right Place. Right Time.
An integral part of this is the appropriate and timely reporting of adverse events when they do occur. This information is important for healthcare services to learn so that care and experiences for patients and their families can continuously improve.
The HSE has systems and procedures in place to respond when an adverse incident occurs. This approach to incident management is cognisant of the needs of those affected and supports services to learn and improve.
