Priorities of HSE chiefs questioned by HIQA in Portlaoise hospital report

According to a draft report by the Health Information and Quality Authority, senior HSE officials did not visit Portlaoise hospital despite concerns over safety regulations following the death of infants in the maternity unit.

Failings on the part of senior managers have been documented in the draft report which suggests managers where ‘predominantly focussed’ on austerity and government spending at the time despite a Prime Time report on the hospital.

The report highlights concerns which were identified eight years ago, but which failed to become a priority for many senior managers.

The details found in the report has reignited tensions between Hiqa and the HSE with the latter accusing the former of leaking the details before they could be properly addressed.

The report, whose publication has been delayed recently, has caused concern for many parties, with Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan asserting that “deliberate drip-feeding” of details served only to damage the hospital’s reputation.

Contradicting the claim, Hiqa has stated: “Any suggestion that Hiqa has leaked any investigation report is totally false and untrue.”

Minister for Health, Leo Vardkar, has been called on to ensure the report is published promptly with no further delays while families affected by the report have insisted that action needs to be taken as soon as possible.

The father of a little girl who died in the hospital almost two years ago has defended Hiqa, saying: “We’re depending on Hiqa to get the truth out. The longer this goes on, the harder it will be to fix.”

The HSE has claimed that the report contains significant inaccuracies while Hiqa asserts that they are still working on the document, saying: “Hiqa continues to finalise this investigation report, the due process in respect of the draft report is ongoing and the Investigation report has yet to be finalised and submitted to the board of Hiqa for its consideration and approval.”