Hiqa condemns HSE over Portlaoise hospital hazards

The State's health watchdog will heavily criticise the Health Service Executive when it publishes its long-awaited report on Portlaoise hospital this morning.

All levels of management in the HSE and the hospital, where five babies died in controversial circumstances, were aware of known patient safety risks but failed to act on them, the report by the Health Information and Quality Authority finds.

Hiqa has stuck by the vast majority of criticisms it made of the HSE in an earlier draft of the report, despite a threat by HSE director general Tony O'Brien to injunct publication if changes were not made. Details of the draft report were published in The Irish Times.

The HSE has organised its own press conference to take place shortly after Hiqa launches the report. The HSE will highlight “the many changes that have taken place at the hospital” over the past year. It is expected to stress the hospital is now safe following major staffing and organisational changes.

Legal proceedings

While it is not carrying out its threat to take legal proceedings to prevent publication – ostensibly because it hasn’t seen it yet – the HSE may seek to quash the findings of the report at a later stage.

Mr O’Brien has claimed the draft report was inaccurate, lacked context and did not give those criticised an opportunity to respond.

The draft was critical of a “widespread lack of urgency” to respond to risks, and claimed the hospital was “beset by indecision” despite numerous recommendations for change over the years. It implicitly criticised the Government for failing to properly fund the level of services provided in the hospital, including 24-hour emergency care.

HSE response

A process was subsequently agreed whereby Hiqa agreed to provide the HSE with more information on its findings before publication, and the HSE submitted 250 pages of responses.

This interaction was completed almost two weeks ago and the board of Hiqa met on Tuesday to approve the report. Minister for Health Leo Varadkar was given a copy on Wednesday evening.

The HSE and the families who lost babies in the hospital have been briefed on some of its contents but have not been given copies.

Former minister for health James Reilly commissioned the report last year after an RTÉ Prime Time programme about the deaths of five babies in the hospital's maternity unit. Hiqa was in contact with more than 80 families when compiling the report.