Serious questions still unanswered in CHI hip operations scandal – David Cullinane TD

Sinn Féin spokesperson on Health, David Cullinane TD, has expressed concern that serious questions are still unanswered in the Children’s Health Ireland hip operations scandal, with potentially hundreds of children affected over the last decade.

Deputy Cullinane has expressed alarm that the Department for Health was first informed of these serious issues last May and only recently made contact with families. He added that parents have come forward about surgeries which date back to the 2010s. He said that every parent of a child whose care may need to be examined should be informed whether their child’s case is under review.

The TD for Waterford added that the Government must also clarify whether the then-Minister for Health was informed when the Department of Health was contacted in May 2024 about the scandal, whether the new Minister was informed of the ongoing investigation, and whether either Minister informed the Taoiseach or the Government.

Teachta Cullinane said:

“More than 500 children and their parents have been impacted by the nightmare scandal at Children’s Health Ireland with the possibility of hundreds of unnecessary hip operations done over the period of potentially a decade.

“Surgery is always a difficult and often traumatic experience for a child and their family. It is extremely distressing for these families to not know whether their child’s surgery was necessary. Based on the audit conducted by an independent expert, hundreds of these surgeries were entirely unnecessary.

“Since the publication of the draft report by the Ditch, many parents have come forward to tell us of their experience. The hardship and harm experienced by these children is heartbreaking. In some cases, it took months of agony for children to learn to walk again, and in others there was significant psychological trauma.

“Parents who avoided surgery for their children have come forward to say that they were informed by a second opinion that not only did their child not need the proposed surgery, but that their child’s diagnosis was not even correct.

“There is a genuine concern that this scandal dates back a decade or more, which raises very serious questions over clinical governance at Children’s Health Ireland. CHI is already under investigation for over 18 months for the use of unauthorised springs in spinal surgeries, which has yet to present any answers.

“The Taoiseach has acknowledged that this seems to be a very severe and deep problem. The Department of Health was informed of this scandal nearly a year ago in May 2024. The Taoiseach must clarify whether the then-Minister for Health was informed, and whether he informed the Taoiseach or the Government. The new Minister for Health must clarify if she was informed about this investigation, and whether she informed the Taoiseach, Tánaiste, or the Government.

“It is shocking that it has taken 10 months for families to be informed. The Minister for Health needs to confirm that all of the appropriate families have been contacted. Any child who had this surgery at CHI over the last decade needs to be informed that their case is being reviewed, or assured that their case is not of concern. The Minister needs to confirm how many children may be affected, how many letters have been issued to date, and to outline for families and the public what the next steps are. Crucially the Minister must outline the timeframe, and how far back this scandal goes.

“The full range of supports must be provided to these families. Many are experiencing difficulty in getting information from CHI, expressing a lack of response to emails and an inability to get an answer on the phone. This is compounding their distress. Their concerns must be addressed urgently.”