Mother calls for public statutory inquiry into CHI care

The mother of a nine-year-old boy, who who had spina bifida and scoliosis and who died in July, said an inquiry into the care of spina bifida and scoliosis patients at Children’s Health Ireland (CHI), should be a public statutory inquiry.

Harvey Morrison’s parents Stephen Morrison and Gillian Sherratt have said that he waited years for a spinal operation, and only got one last November when the curve in his spine had reached 130 degrees.

Last year, they said that he had been removed from a CHI waiting list for urgent scoliosis surgery without their consent or knowledge. He was first placed on the waiting list in February 2022.

He died on 29 July.

Ms Sherratt met with Tánaiste Simon Harris and Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill yesterday, where the inquiry was promised.

Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Ms Sherratt said: “The type of inquiry hasn’t yet been set in stone, but what they have committed to is that there will be an inquiry into CHI, spina bifida and scoliosis care.

“The terms of reference and the scope of that will be up to the parental advocacy groups and the parents actually using the service.

“It would be our opinion that it should be a public statutory inquiry, because we need to ensure that it is comprehensive and wide enough to uncover everything it needs to uncover, and that people can be held to account.”

Ms Sherratt said the Government did not commit to a public and statutory inquiry, and did not have any new information in relation to Harvey’s removal from the emergency surgery list.

“We’ve tried repeatedly to get that information from the taskforce that was set up, but to this day we still have no more information as to why he was removed or who made the decision,” she said.

Ms Sherratt said she felt like she was listened to in the meeting, but was unsure if any changes will come as a result.

“We felt like there was a lot that needed to be said. We went into it, and we very much asked that they just allowed us to speak because we’ve been trying to get this meeting for so long,” she said.

“We had a lot that we’ve needed them to actually hear. We felt like they did listen, but at the same time, there have been previous promises from government and from ministers that haven’t been met. So, we’re cautiously optimistic.

“But I do feel like they listened. Whether or not that will bring around the changes that we need to see is a different story.”

Ms Sherratt said that the focus now had to be on ensuring that children receive the appropriate care from the State going forward.

“That’s ultimately one of the reasons why we are more focused on getting an inquiry and getting the changes that we need because ultimately, Simon Harris resigning doesn’t help these children,” she said.

“While it might be something that we would call for, it does nothing to benefit the children that are still relying on the State and relying on Children’s Health Ireland and the HSE to help them.

“That needs to be our priority and that needs to be our focus,” she added.