Child spinal care commission of investigation recommended

A Government-backed scoping report into controversies surrounding children's hospital spina bifida and scoliosis cases has recommended the establishment of a commission of investigation to examine the events. The 134-page report, which stops short of calling for a public tribunal-style inquiry, will focus on the Children's Health Ireland waiting list system between January 2019 and April 2022.

The investigation is expected to begin next year and will likely examine system issues rather than individual cases, meaning the case of nine-year-old Harvey Morrison Sherratt, who died in July 2022 after being on a waiting list since 2022, may not be specifically reviewed. The report also recommends a review of the use of non-medical springs by a consultant at Temple Street Hospital between 2020 and 2022, with a focus on what Children's Health Ireland knew about the case.

The scoping exercise, overseen by senior counsel Remy Farrell, began its work in February and will not begin separate examinations into spinal surgery and hip dysplasia issues until those ongoing investigations conclude. The report was sent to families and briefings were held for families and Oireachtas Health Committee members.