It has been revealed today that the HSE has threatened legal action against HIQA to prevent the publication of a report into the deaths of five babies at the Midland Hospital in Portloaise.
The report is believed to be highly critical of senior managers in the HSE.
The Irish Times says the issue has provoked a furious row between HIQA - the independent health regulator and the HSE and has led to a delay in the report being published.
Ollie Kelly spoke to Lunchtime in December with his partner Amy after a jury returned a verdict of ‘medical misadventure’ in the inquest into the death of their daughter Mary Kate in 2013 in Portloaise Hospital.
He joined Jonathan Healy today to discuss the report stating that although the HSE has apparently seen the report, he has not aware of any of the contents.
"It just needs to stop. This is our opportunity to make it stop. The public are entitled to know how safe or unsafe our health service is."
When asked his opinion on what the HSE has threatened, he responded: "I don't think it's good enough. It's not their health service, it's our health service.
"All we can do is learn from it, if we're not man enough to put up our hand and learn from it, where do we go? Where does it end? This is where we have to trust HIQA that they will pursue this with the Department of Health to make sure the right thing is done here."
You can listen back to his interview here:
The HSE responded with a statement:
Many members of HSE staff at local, Regional and National level, have participated in HIQA’s Investigation into the safety, quality and standards of services provided by the HSE to patients in the Midlands Regional Hospital, Portlaoise.
A full draft Report was presented to the DG of the HSE on February 2nd 2015 with a request for final comments on this Report within a two week period.
The Draft Report contained some factual inaccuracies, lacked context and balance and failed to give reasons for or to substantiate certain findings relating to parts of the HSE and/or certain individuals.
On further examination the DG noted that these individuals had not been furnished with the relevant information or documentation in order to allow them to appropriately respond to these findings.
Consequently, on February 13th, the DG wrote to HIQA assuring it of the HSE’s desire to assist and co-operate in completing a more contextual and procedurally fair Report and seeking a meeting to address shortcomings in the process.
HIQA declined the HSE’s offer to meet or to provide further information and supporting documentation to help to respond to the findings.
The HSE wrote a further three letters to HIQA seeking a meeting and further information and supporting documentation in order to allow the HSE and its staff members to respond appropriately to the inaccuracies and the certain findings.
HIQA did not accede to these further requests.
At that juncture the HSE gave consideration to seeking Court intervention in order to ensure that a more balanced and fair final report would ensue with appropriate input from HSE staff members who have had access to all of the relevant documentation from HIQA.
The HSE then wrote to the Department of Health on March 13th seeking it to intervene in the matter.
Following a meeting last week, HIQA and the HSE are now working in accordance with an agreed process to receive this necessary information and documentation and to bring finality to the HSE's input into the process of finalising the report.”.
