Statement by the Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA) on HIQA Report Regarding Implantable Medical Devices at CHI

The Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA) recognises the deep distress and hurt caused to the three children and their families, as detailed in the recent HIQA report on the governance of implantable medical devices at Children’s Health Ireland (CHI).

The report highlights serious system-wide governance failures at CHI, particularly at Temple Street, where consultants were working under intense pressure with high patient care needs and workloads with inadequate support. It is within this environment that a surgeon, acting with good intent and in the absence of effective structures, endeavoured to provide innovative care to children. These were children with complex life-limiting conditions—children who, without intervention, faced extremely poor outcomes and suffering. As indicated by the HIQA report, at the time the surgeon believed the devices to be medical-grade stainless steel, CE marked as suitable for use as surgical implants. Due to the numerous failings in the hospital’s procurement processes and safety checks, this surgical "never event" happened. This was, and should have been, entirely preventable had proper policies and procedures been adhered to at the hospital.

HIQA itself recognised these actions as a well-meaning effort to prolong the lives and improve the quality of life of these patients. Nonetheless, this situation underscores the urgent need for robust governance systems to ensure both patient safety and clinical accountability.

While individual accountability is essential, consultants do not work in isolation. They depend on functioning, transparent management structures and appropriate clinical supports. Failures in these systems increase the risk of poor outcomes, despite the best efforts of medical professionals.

The IHCA supports the recommendations issued by HIQA and calls for their swift implementation, both within CHI and nationally. At the same time, we urge that future regulation continues to allow space for safe, ethically sound innovation that benefits patients with curative treatments and/or improves their quality of life, especially those with the most complex and challenging needs.

We hope the new National Children’s Hospital will provide a much-needed reset—fostering a culture of strong governance, clinical excellence, and compassionate innovation that ensures the highest standard of care for our most vulnerable children.

The IHCA is committed to working collaboratively and constructively to ensure that the very highest levels of clinical governance are embedded across all services in the newly established children’s hospital, which is due to open shortly. We will continue to work proactively with all stakeholders to ensure every support is provided to Clinical Directors in delivering the highest standards of patient care in our hospitals.

ENDS

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