Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly has today announced that there is to be a full review of all children’s orthopaedic surgery in Ireland.  This follows serious safety concerns that arose from the work of one consultant operating at Temple Street Children’s Hospital. 

The review will examine how the service is run as well as the long delays currently being experienced by children awaiting orthopaedic surgeries.

Speaking on the Terms of Reference of the review, Minister Donnelly said that they wil “very deliberately allow for a wider look at governance and other operational matter across the CHI service”.

He also stated that the appointed expert would, as part of the review, meet with patients, families and advocates.

There are currently 261 children on waiting lists at three Children’s Health Ireland sites in Dublin – Temple Street, Crumlin Children’s Hospital and Cappagh. 54 children are awaiting spinal surgery in CHI Temple Street. 

The review will be carried out by Selvadurai Nayagam, the UK expert also carrying out the external review into serious safety concerns regarding spinal surgeries carried out at Temple Street on Spina Bifida patients by one particular consultant.

Shocking findings of an internal review revealed that non-surgically approved devices, compression springs, had been implanted in 3 young patients. High rates of surgical complications are also reported to have arisen. 

A helpline has been opened for families of children currently on surgical waiting lists. However, staff at CHI Temple Street advise that they are not in a position to deal with queries on potential surgery dates “at this time”.

The medical negligence team here at Coleman Legal LLP are highly experienced and competent in the area of clinical negligence. We will discuss your situation with you in complete confidence.

If you are concerned about the clinical care that your child received while undergoing spinal surgery in Temple Street Children’s Hospital, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.  We will advise you as to your legal rights and support you throughout the entire process. Learn more.