THE Health Service Executive (HSE) has delayed publication of the results of an external investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of a teenage girl, who was a client of the child protection services.
The girl died in January 2007 after inhaling some of the contents of a deodorant can. The HSE had been warned more than a year previously that the girl’s life was in danger unless she was placed in residential care.
The report was completed by Dr Harry Ferguson, professor in social policy and social work at the University of the West of England in Bristol, in March last year. The HSE had intended to publish the report in December. But after taking legal and clinical advice the HSE decided last month to delay publication of the report.
“In the interests of the family and following clinical and professional advice we are not publishing the report at this time,” said the HSE last night.
The report is one of three separate reports into the deaths of teenagers, either in State care or known to the care services, which have been completed by the HSE but have still not been published.
Details of the three cases are contained in an unpublished report sent by the HSE to Minister of State for Children Barry Andrews in recent weeks. This report provides timeframes for the publication of the three completed inquiries and 18 ongoing inquiries, which have been commissioned by the HSE into the deaths of children known to State care services.
Mr Andrews asked the HSE for the schedule on child deaths in May 2010 and has committed to publishing it.
The HSE has been strongly criticised in the past for failing to publish the results of internal investigations into the deaths of children in care. Last year a decision by Fine Gael TD Alan Shatter to published a HSE report into the death of teenager Tracey Fay prompted the HSE to set up a new group to review the deaths of all children in care. It also promised to publish the results of its investigations into the circumstances of the deaths of these children.
Mr Shatter said yesterday he was very concerned about the decision to delay publication of the report into the teenager’s death.
“There is a huge credibility gap with regard to anything the HSE say about difficulties in publication,” he said.
Last month the HSE was forced to revise upwards the number of children and young adults in State care, or known to social services, who have died over the past decade. Between January 1st, 2000, and April 30th, 2010, the HSE says it now believes 199 children and young adults in these categories died.