Government to carry out commission of investigation into spinal care instead of public inquiry

THE GOVERNMENT HAS accepted the recommendation to carry out a commission of investigation into spinal and orthopaedic care by Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) rather than a public inquiry.

The recommendation was made as part of the final report of the CHI Inquiry Scoping Exercise, which was published today by Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill.

The 134-page report, undertaken by Senior Counsel (SC) Remy Farrell, recommends a commission of inquiry rather than a tribunal of inquiry.

His recommendation comes following a process which began in March of this year and involved gathering documents from CHI and the HSE and engaging with stakeholders, including patient advocacy groups, affected parents, clinicians and representatives of both the HSE and CHI.