An independent review of the events surrounding the death of two-year-old Limerick girl Róisín Ruddle, who died earlier this month within hours of her heart operation being postponed by a Dublin hospital, has been set up by the Minister for Health, Mr Martin.
The review will be conducted by a panel of three experts, including a paediatric cardiologist from Guys & Thomas's Hospital in London, Dr Shakeel A Qureshi.
The other members of the review panel are Mr David Hanly, a management consultant whose report on how hospitals should be organised and staffed into the future went to Cabinet yesterday, and Ms Kay O'Sullivan, the director of nursing at Cork University Hospital.
Announcing the review yesterday, Mr Martin said the panel had been asked to address questions raised by the Ruddle family in the wake of little Róisín's death.
Róisín Ruddle was due to have heart surgery to correct a congenital heart condition at Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children in Crumlin, Dublin, on June 30th. The operation was cancelled shortly beforehand. The hospital said this was due to a shortage of intensive care nurses to care for her after she would have had her surgery. They sent her back to her home at Kilmacow, near Adare, and were due to reschedule her operation a few days later. However, she died early the next morning, July 1st.
Mr Martin immediately ordered a report on what happened from the Eastern Regional Health Authority (ERHA), which funds the hospital. After receiving that report, the parents of Róisín Ruddle, Mr Gerard Ruddle and Ms Helen Quain-Ruddle, said it left many questions unanswered.
It did not address the issue of whether or not the child should have been sent home or the effect on their child of having to travel back to Limerick. It simply set out the reason for her surgery being cancelled.
The Ruddle family called for an independent inquiry, and Mr Martin discussed their request with them during a private meeting last Friday.
Setting out the terms of reference for the new inquiry yesterday, Mr Martin said it would:
consider the ERHA report in relation to the events of June 30th at Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children, and make any further enquiries and conduct any interviews considered necessary;
address the questions raised by the family;
examine protocols and procedures relevant to the incident having regard to prevailing standards of best practice, and examine their application in this case, and;
report back to the Minister for Health, making any recommendations it considered necessary.
Mr Martin said the report of the independent review group would be published when complete. It is unlikely to be available until September.
The ERHA report on the incident would also be published at the same time.