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Irish Daily Mirror
15-05-2025
- Health
- Irish Daily Mirror
Over 2,200 letters sent to hip surgery children as audit nears completion
Over 2,200 children who had hip dysplasia surgery dating back as far as 2010 have received letters regarding follow-up care. It comes as Taoiseach Micheál Martin stated that an audit of potentially unnecessary surgeries on children being carried out by Children's Health Ireland (CHI) should be ready 'before the end of next week'. The Irish Independent reported earlier this week that parents whose children had undergone hip surgeries as far back as 2010 have started receiving letters from CHI regarding their treatment. Several letters sent to Development Dysplasia of the Hip (DDH) patients and their parents by both CHI and Cappagh Hospital, seen by the Irish Mirror, stated that an 'early recommendation from the audit is that all patients who have had DDH surgery should receive routine follow-up care until the children's bones have fully grown and developed, in line with current best practice'. The letters advised that this was 'not urgent'. Despite being pressed on it several times in the Dáil, the Taoiseach was unable to confirm how many people had received these letters. A statement from CHI and the National Orthopaedic Hospital Cappagh (NOHC) yesterday [weds] evening confirmed that 2,259 letters have been sent in March 2025 to parents or patients who may now need follow-up care. A spokesperson said: 'Records from CHI and NOHC indicate that many of these patients are already in an extended follow-up post-op process, and any patient who is not in a post-op review process will receive an appointment for a review in the coming weeks. 'CHI wrote to 1,757 parents of children and young people who underwent any type of hip surgery for DDH in their hospitals, and this group of patients will continue to be monitored to skeletal maturity. 'The letters sent from CHI (dating back to 2010) were based on the age of the children, as children up to the age of 16 years are treated in CHI – the number represents all of the patients who potentially fall within the scope of follow-up to skeletal maturity. 'NOHC wrote to 502 parents of patients who underwent DDH surgery in the hospital, and this group of patients will continue to be monitored to skeletal maturity. 'CHI and NOHC will communicate further with families when the clinical audit is complete and any required additional steps will be taken as part of an Action Plan. 'We recognise the concerns of our patients' families and are committed to expediting the audit process, publishing the findings and implementing any required actions.' In Leinster House, the Taoiseach was accused of misleading the Dáil yesterday [weds]. On Tuesday, he stated that letters 'went out after media reporting of a draft audit report'. In response to queries from Social Democrats acting leader Cian O'Callaghan in the Dáil yesterday [weds], the Taoiseach stated that he hoped the audit would be completed 'before the end of next week'. He also stated that what had been sent to parents was 'quite a general letter, from what I have seen'. Ms McDonald and Sinn Féin TD Pearse Doherty accused the Taoiseach of 'misleading the Dáil'. Mr Martin said he had 'no interest in hiding anything' but McDonald insisted that the letters had been sent in response to the audit's recommendations and were not 'general letters.'
Irish Daily Mirror
14-05-2025
- Health
- Irish Daily Mirror
Taoiseach accused of misleading Dail on hip surgery patients
The Taoiseach has been accused of 'misleading the Dáil' about letters sent to parents of children who underwent hip surgery. Micheál Martin also stated that an audit of potentially unnecessary surgeries on children should be ready 'before the end of next week'. Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill is awaiting a report from Children's Health Ireland (CHI) regarding suggestions that unnecessary hip surgeries were being conducted on children. The Irish Independent reported earlier this week that parents whose children had undergone hip surgeries as far back as 2010 have started receiving letters from CHI regarding their treatment. Several letters sent to Development Dysplasia of the Hip (DDH) patients and their parents by both CHI and Cappagh Hospital, seen by the Irish Mirror, stated that the 'audit is not yet complete' and they could not comment on what it could contain. One read: 'An early recommendation from the audit is that all patients who have had DDH surgery should receive routine follow-up care until the children's bones have fully grown and developed, in line with current best practice. 'We are aware that as you are now over the age of 16, skeletal maturity may have been reached. 'An assessment of the needs of over-16-year-olds in this category is in progress and once this has been completed, we will contact you to advise if further follow-up is needed.' The letters advised that this was 'not urgent'. On Tuesday, Mr Martin told the Dáil the letters 'went out after media reporting of a draft audit report'. In response to queries from Social Democrats acting leader Cian O'Callaghan in the Dáil on Wednesday, the Taoiseach stated that he hoped the audit would be completed 'before the end of next week'. He also stated that what had been sent to parents was 'quite a general letter, from what I have seen'. He said: 'The generic letter I have seen is essentially saying that it is being written as a follow-up to surgery at Children's Health Ireland to correct developmental dysplasia and that an audit is under way and that also in terms of skeletal maturity.' Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald and TD Pearse Doherty accused the Taoiseach of 'misleading the Dáil'. Mr Martin said he had 'no interest in hiding anything'. He added: 'It is horrendous if anything wrong was done but we need to find out the full facts. That is what we want to do, in terms of the parents and children involved. That is it.' Ms McDonald later asked how many letters had been sent to hip dysplasia patients and how many 'recalls' may be required. She further insisted that the letters had been sent in response to the audit's recommendations and were not 'general letters'. In a statement, Ms McDonald accused the Taoiseach of 'misleading the Dáil two days in a row'. She said: 'It is a shocking dereliction of duty that the Taoiseach has not got this information. 'This is a major scandal and parents don't know what is going on. They need to move on this issue now and let the public know immediately – how many letters have been issued to parents?'
