Murphy calls on Minister Harris to address failings in paediatric audiology services as a matter of urgency
Fianna Fáil TD for Roscommon/Galway Eugene Murphy has called on the Minister for Health Simon Harris to urgently address the failings identified as part of the review of paediatric audiology services provided in more than 900 cases by one audiologist in Mayo and Roscommon from 2011 to 2015 which may have left some children with lifelong impairments.
RTÉ Investigates this week highlighted the fact that the Health Service Executive is to apologise to almost 50 families in Mayo and Roscommon for serious failings in audiology services provided to children.
“The HSE carried out a review of services provided in Mayo and Roscommon from 2011 to 2015 and of the more than 900 cases examined, 49 children have been found to be affected.
“This is yet another unbelievable failure by the HSE and it is staggering to think that this particular audiologist had been working in the Mayo/Roscommon area for over a ten-year period. It is unforgiveable that many of these children identified in the review of paediatric audiology services provided in Mayo and Roscommon from 2011 to 2015 may be left with life-long hearing impairments,” said Deputy Murphy.
“What good is an apology now to these families if their children had an increased risk of a missed diagnosis or may be left with life-long hearing impairments. I also understand that the clinical team who undertook the review found that many of the hearing assessments did not meet national audiology standards. Time and time again we are hearing of failures in the HSE and it is now extremely difficult for the public to have faith in the HSE.
“If this review only covered the period from 2011 to 2015 what about the many other cases that this individual audiologist carried out if they were working in the Mayo/Roscommon area for over ten years. I am calling on Minister Harris to clarify whether the review will now be extended to cover the full period of time the audiologist was working in Mayo/Roscommon and also whether the review will be extended to other parts of the country where this particular individual may also have worked- I have submitted a number of parliamentary questions on this matter in a bid to seek urgent clarification in this latest unwelcome development,” concluded Deputy Murphy.