I wish to raise the issue of the unedifying spectacle of the HSE threatening legal injunctions against the Health Information and Quality Authority, HIQA, in the context of an investigation into quality, patient safety and standards of service at the Midland Regional Hospital, Portlaoise. The background to this is that, more than one year ago, the chief medical officer, Dr. Tony Holohan, conducted a report as a result of perinatal deaths at the hospital. His report, which was an initial conclusion, did not pull too many punches. He said that families and patients were treated in a poor and, at times, appalling manner, with limited respect, kindness, courtesy and consideration. He said that information that should have been given to families was withheld for no justifiable reason, poor outcomes that could likely have been prevented were identified and known by the hospital but not adequately and satisfactorily acted upon, the Portlaoise hospital maternity services, PHMS, could not be regarded as safe and sustainable under their governance arrangements, many organisations had information regarding the safety of the PHMS that could have led to earlier intervention had it been brought together, and the external support from and oversight by the HSE should have been stronger and more proactive.
As a result, the then Minister for Health, Deputy Reilly, decided to initiate the HIQA investigation into the safety, quality and standards of service provided by the HSE to patients in the Midland Regional Hospital, a broader investigation in many ways. Over the past year, HIQA has been engaged in that exercise. Obviously, the then Minister believed that this was a serious matter, given the report of the chief medical officer. Eighty-five families have provided information to the HIQA investigation.
