Three-year delay leaves CHI spinal surgery review unfinished and families in limbo
A review of a spinal surgeon’s work at Children’s Health Ireland, launched in September 2023 and meant to finish in a year, remains incomplete three years later, while families await a public inquiry.
The review of a spinal care surgeon at Children’s Health Ireland, initiated in September 2023, was scheduled to conclude within a year but has not yet finished, with phase two still under way. An expanded audit of the surgeon’s work from 2016 to 2023 was announced in February and remains only at the preparation stage, supported by external UK experts. Families affected by past scandals involving non-medical springs implanted in children have expressed frustration over the lack of updates and the limited scope of the review.
Advocacy leader Amanda Coughlan Santry criticised the HSE for not delivering promised transparency or recommendations. Some families traveled to Dublin for meetings that produced no tangible results. In parallel, barrister Remy Farrell is conducting a scoping exercise for a public inquiry into care for children with spina bifida and scoliosis, with his report expected to reach the Cabinet soon.
