The father of a boy on the waiting list for a spinal operation at Temple Street Hospital says he has received no communication from the hospital about his son's healthcare.
Yesterday, the HSE announced that it had commissioned an external review into orthopaedic surgery at Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) at Temple Street following a number of “serious spinal surgical incidents”.
The HSE has appointed a UK expert to lead an external review of the clinical care provided by one consultant, who is currently not conducting surgeries.
It has emerged that 19 children suffered significant complications after surgery, with senior hospital management made aware of patient safety concerns in late 2022.
It is understood that the bulk of the surgeries will now be carried out in CHI Crumlin.
Speaking to Lunchtime Live, Stephen Morrison – father to seven-year-old Harvey, who suffers from Spina Bifida, hydrocephalus and scoliosis – said he was not given any warning before the HSE announced the review yesterday.
"Me and my partner were shocked, to be honest with you," he said.
"Absolutely shocked – we're scared.
"Like a lot of the families that were involved in this, we haven't been communicated with clearly and we need answers."
Mr Morrison said the families have not received any updates on the investigation or the postponed surgeries.
"Me and my partner are extremely angry with the hospitals," he said.
Stephen Morrison's son Harvey (Photo by Stephen Morrison)Last year an internal and external review took place in CHI at Temple Street, which looked into the care provided by one consultant to 17 children who had complex spinal surgery.
The findings have not been fully published, but a report synthesising the main findings of both reviews was published yesterday.
Mr Morrison said he does not feel he can make an "informed decision" about his son's healthcare until he can read the full reports.
"While all this has gone on, there are children suffering and dying in our country that are in severe pain and aren't being looked after correctly," he said.
Stephen Morrison's son Harvey (Photo by Stephen Morrison)Despite being told that his son's condition was a "life or death situation" when Harvey was just one year old, Mr Morrison said he has received "absolutely no orthopaedic intervention".
"We did get a date for April 2023, but obviously, those surgeries were cancelled due to the review that was taking place because of the complications that were happening," he said.
"As his spine curvature changes, his ribcage is currently coming in on top of one of his lungs and causing extreme pain."
Stephen Morrison's son Harvey (Photo by Stephen Morrison)Harvey now experiences stints of pneumonia up to four times a year – the last of which resulted in admission to the ICU.
"I don't know how CHI or the Government can expect any family to bring their children into that hospital when CHI carries themself so functionally," he said.
"We haven't had a personal apology; we haven't been told if Harvey is going to be picked up by another surgeon, if he's going to be treated in Temple Street, if he's going to be moved to Crumlin."
Stephen Morrison and son Harvey (Photo by Stephen Morrison)In 2017, former Minister for Health Simon Harris put a plan in place to outsource some procedures in specialist clinics in Germany and England to reduce children's wait times – which has since been halted.
Mr Morrison said he would feel "so much more comfortable" having his son treated abroad.
"This is my home, I've lived here for 34 years now," he said.
"I've built my family here and I want to move away – I don't want to be here anymore.
"We have a health service that completely has abandoned us.
"The orthopaedics are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to caring for children with Spina Bifida – they need so much.
"They need neurological care, they need occupational therapy care, they need physical therapy care.
"There needs to be a complete team around these children, and if one of those is missing, it can be life-threatening for that child."
