Jennifer Carroll MacNeill
Dún Laoghaire · Fine Gael · Ireland
“It will be provided by a registered pharmacist in accordance with the relevant pharmacy legislation, including this Bill. Section 2 of the Bill makes various amendments to the Irish Medicines Board Act and the Pharmacy Act. Those amendments ensure that whole legislative framework is cross-referenced correctly.”
“We now have a common conditions service where you can go to a pharmacy instead of a GP to get a diagnosis and prescription for eight basic conditions like conjunctivitis or urinary tract infections - the kind of things that just come up in people's lives all the time. We would like to expand more and more what pharmacies can do.”
“In particular, the board will be focusing on aspects of menstrual health, on aspects of postpartum mental health, particularly in traumatic birth cases, on something we have overlooked for some time, which is endometriosis, on women who are finding it difficult to access services in different ways, as Senator Harmon suggested, and on more…”
“The extension to 41- to 45-year-olds could possibly be €5 million to €8 million because there are statistically fewer women in that bracket trying to conceive, so the numbers are higher. It really is a question of funding. I remind Senators that they have also asked me to fund various other programmes.”
“That followed confirmation from the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland and the Health Products Regulatory Authority that the patch and ring are classified as medicinal products, not medical devices. That is just a correction there.”
“That is why we have put so much money into supporting them in different ways, including the conclusion of a €50 million increase to their fees and to provide for the opportunity to raise private funds in this way, for example, the common conditions service. I want to see pharmacists doing more.”
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“We are pausing, specifically, to enable the breadth of analysis about the documents that are there and the breadth of engagement that is possible. This is a different way of doing that so there is no intention to narrow it. Many Deputies have raised the point of the interplay and tension between the breadth, the robustness and the timeliness. This is a triangle of great difficulty in determining how tribunals can and should be structured. What every Member wants is to have a tribunal, a commission of investigation or whatever the forum that is effective. We talked about the sodium valproate one here. I am not prescribing that, nor am I prescribing interim reports, which was raised. I am not prescribing anything.”
“If I could find a way to publish the report without doing that as a member of Government and a Member of Parliament I would, but I cannot. Nayagam 1 will be published when Nayagam 2 is completed, which is how the process was established. Regarding the terms of reference, the word "complex" is not intended to in any way narrow the terms of reference. They are being given a facilitated process to be agreed and determined, and we take the broadest possible view in that regard. I am sorry if that is the impression that was given. It is certainly not the intention. We have never really had this process previoulsy, which has been deliberately set up so it is not the Minister or the Government dictating it, as was the case in the past, where terms of reference were set and then people were sent on their way.”
“I am hurt and appalled on behalf of the health system that any person with access to such a sensitive report would do any such thing. It certainly did not come from me and our communication was focused on getting a deep clinical briefing and putting a proper structure in place between that clinical briefing on 6 February, which was a Friday, and communication with families on 11 February, the following week, in an intelligent, appropriate and accurate way. I deeply regret any Sunday newspaper ridiculousness. I cannot publish Nayagam 1 until Nayagam 2 has been completed. That is how the process was structured. Those are the commitments that were given to the High Court and I cannot, as a member of the Government, knowingly take actions that contradict commitments that have been given to the High Court.”
“That is because people have not necessarily been in touch with Deputies in the same way, but I have to acknowledge there are more voices than those who have been reflected as having been in touch with Deputies. I know that because I have seen their responses and they stand somewhat in contrast to what was said. I do not say that with any disrespect to any group, but I have to acknowledge that there are many groups involved in this. Dignity4Patients is on one side and there are multiple scoliosis and spina bifida action groups on the other. That is important. On the Nayagam report, I condemn any reference to it in a Sunday newspaper prior to communication with families. That did not come from me. A small group of people were engaged with that. I read lots of things in Sunday newspapers that are never put there by me.”
“I will address a number of issues and questions that Deputies raised. We take the same approach to both inquiries, with the appointment of a facilitator specifically to engage with the different groups. That request has been socialised and agreed with the different groups, which includes Dignity4Patients on the Michael Shine side and eight groups on the scoliosis side. There are different views among the groups and it is important to acknowledge and reflect on that, as there have been different views among scoliosis and spina bifida advocates in previous years. Some participated on a spinal task force and others did not, and I respect both perspectives. I have been the recipient of responses from all of the different groups and those voices are not being reflected in their entirety here today.”
“Patients' advocates, including parents, families and those who had wrong implants put into their bodies, who have been waiting for too long for spinal surgeries and have not got the care for spina bifidia they needed, will now begin a process with an independent facilitator to scope how best we might give weight to their voice in a public inquiry. Regarding the victims and survivors of Michael Shine right across Meath and Louth, I pay tribute to the many hundreds of men who have been impacted and will be impacted yet again today as we discuss this. I acknowledge their work, dignity for patients and broad support network, which have brought us to this point where we are beginning the same facilitative process to scope the appropriate public inquiry to be able to have their voices heard and respected in the way they deserve to be.”
“We want all of the children who are identified to receive appropriate treatment in a timely way. I thank the House for giving me the opportunity to provide these updates, both on spinal services and on scoliosis generally, but also on the important inquiries I have discussed today. I recognise that in each of the three cases, women who took anti-seizure medication without any expectation of harm being done are now raising families where they know that the medication they were taking harmed their children. They have an opportunity for an inquiry.”
“The weighted average wait time for inpatient procedures has fallen significantly, from 6.2 months in January 2025 to 5.2 months in January 2026, an improvement of one month, but we want to see more. Some 25% of new outpatient appointments are within the ten-week Sláintecare target. No new outpatients are waiting over 12 months. Weighted average times for new outpatient appointments have reduced to 4.5 months from 9.7 months in January 2025. Those improvements ensure children are seen more quickly. While we acknowledge that progress, we also recognise that too many children are still waiting and children with complex cases are waiting. At the end of January, an additional 39 children had been added to the active surgical waiting list. This reflects a growing need and a better referral pathway.”
“This has reduced the time these children are waiting to be seen by a consultant considerably, as well as a dedicated referral pathway for GPs having been introduced to support the prioritisation of urgent cases. We are seeing tangible results from that. There has been an increase in the number of spinal procedures undertaken compared with previous years, but we want to see more. What matters most is the length of time that children are waiting. There has been an improvement in the longest wait lists. At the end of 2025, 47% of those on the CHI active waiting list were within Sláintecare targets, compared with only 38% at the end of 2024. The number of longer waiters is down, with 3% waiting over 12 months at the end of 2025, compared with 11% at the end of 2024. There are no patients waiting over 24 months.”
“We now have a fifth theatre in Temple Street, an additional MRI scanner in Crumlin and 24 additional new beds. The HSE has recently funded a business case to add additional spinal equipment into a second operating theatre in Crumlin. This will allow for more spinal procedures of greater complexity to take place. That goes alongside the additional consultants who have been recruited and are in post since August and will be from this May. The procurement process of all the equipment has begun and it is expected to be in place by the end of this month. CHI has advised that it will be in a position to do spinal fusions in the second theatre from April 2026. Additional outpatient clinics are being run to assess new patients more promptly.”
“As Deputies are aware, at the moment, we have the New York-Presbyterian Hospital and Great Ormond Street Hospital. CHI has gone through a tender process for extra international outsourcing and two organisations have been identified, which are SJD Barcelona Children's Hospital and Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare, Minnesota. Additionally, the treatment abroad scheme remains available for international treatment in other countries in the European Union, the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom or Switzerland. Of course, we are trying to expand domestic capacity. At operational level within CHI, the spinal surgery management unit was established in 2024 to co-ordinate surgeries better across the different hospitals. Efforts to expand capacity are progressing.”
“That is a really important addition to the capacity to do orthopaedic surgery of all different kinds, including complex spinal work. This will support the transfer of non-spinal orthopaedic work from surgeons who currently perform spinal surgery. Alongside that, national and international outsourcing arrangements have been expanded. Domestic outsourcing arrangements have been strengthened, using pathways to Blackrock and Cappagh for non-complex spinal procedures. International outsourcing supports children to get the care they need abroad as clinically appropriate. As we know, not every child is necessarily suitable for travel, but we want to have the pathways for those who are. We are expanding our international options in both Europe and the United States.”
“I acknowledge that the efforts that have been put in so far have yielded tangible progress and I also acknowledge the dedication of all those involved, who are genuinely delivering better outcomes than has been the case before. There has been a significant focus on investment for these services. In 2024, 52 new full-time equivalent posts were approved to strengthen paediatric spinal services, including surgeons, anaesthesiologists, nursing staff and allied health professionals. Forty-one of those staff are in post. Three orthopaedic consultants have been recruited, in addition to the one last year who took up their post in August, and those successful candidates are expected to take up their posts from May 2026.”
“There is a large group of patients with whom I engage regularly about their care. Regarding access, scoliosis affects about 1% of children and adolescents in Ireland. Many of those children do not require surgery but for those who do, timely access to intervention and appropriate treatment is critical. For those children who need surgical intervention, we agree the waiting times are too long. I am acutely aware of the burden that long waiting times place on these young patients. Improving access to spinal surgery and the timely nature of that has been pursued by several Ministers for Health. We have not yet fully reached our goals.”
“I would like to refer to the paediatric spinal surgery waiting lists, both to acknowledge the work that is being done alongside reforms and the very real challenges with this service and how they are being addressed. I thank Members of the House who continue to engage with me on this. I have placed a significant and systemic focus on productivity generally in our hospitals but particularly in this most acute area of need of paediatric spinal services. We do that because we are first and foremost concerned about the children whom these issues impact, their quality of life, the nature of these supports, the interventions they get and the necessity for those to be appropriate and timely. In particular, I thank all of the patients whom I discuss this with at various different times. I hear what they have said.”
“In relation to other ongoing reviews, in particular the equity of access review that I established last year, the CEO of the HSE specifically commissioned an audit to assess governance and equity in access to care within CHI, especially regarding the balance between public and private patient management. That audit covers three specialties - orthopaedics, urology and respiratory - and is due for completion by the end of April. The audit is being augmented with a qualitative element, an independent view, capturing patient and staff experiences. I am attempting to pull out the orthopaedic one to have it published earlier alongside that independent view and hope to be able to update the House about that reasonably shortly, because I want to see it published.”
“Multidisciplinary team clinics have been under way since June of last year and 1,537 patients have now had clinical reviews as part of this process. It is expected that one last clinic will be held next week to close off the remaining patients. In relation to retrospective reviews of cases to determine the indications for surgery, the HSE is establishing a separate process involving external experts. This external expert panel review commenced last month and is chaired by Dr. Kishore Mulpuri, a consultant paediatric orthopaedic surgeon from Canada. The HSE has worked closely with advocacy groups in drafting the terms of reference for that review, which should be finalised and published shortly.”
“In relation to the HIQA review, just after the report was published in April of last year I stood in this House and we discussed the HIQA review of the governance of implantable medical devices in CHI, including the use of non-CE springs in Temple Street hospital. I can update the House that the recommendations from the HIQA report are nearing completion, with a completion rate of over 84% for the HSE recommendations and of 96% for the CHI recommendations. That is an important update for the House. In May, we were here to discuss the Thomas independent external medical audit for Children's Health Ireland and pelvic osteotomy. The immediate priority following the publication of this audit was, again, to ensure that there was clinical follow-up and care for patients who had undergone pelvic osteotomy surgery.”
“The HSE will also be carrying out a wider look-back review of the individual consultant’s practice following on from phase 1. That look-back will involve a review of the patients on whom the consultant performed surgeries between 2016 and 2023, including all spinal, limb reconstruction and surgical dislocation of the hip surgeries. The HSE is currently scoping out the numbers involved against the three criteria for the look-back, and it will be in contact directly with all of the patients identified very shortly. Phase 2 of the Nayagam review is continuing and is expected to be substantially complete by the end of this year. The second phase of the review will be important from a broader clinical and system patient safety perspective to assure future service provision, especially in context of the new children’s hospital.”
“For that briefing to take place, legal advice had to be sought given the significant legal constraints regarding the report. On foot of that briefing, I sought a much more detailed clinical briefing with Mr. Nayagam, which took place on 6 February. My priority, again, was always on timely and appropriate engagement with the patients and families impacted. Mr. Nayagam recommended a recall for clinical review of 62 of the 91 cases examined by him in phase 1. Letters were issued to the families involved with the review on 10 February and a briefing session took place with advocacy groups on 11 February. All families were also contacted by phone. The follow-up appointments for the 62 patients have been arranged and the reviews are ongoing.”
“These are statements about two things - inquiries and scoliosis. I will take the opportunity to give the House an update on scoliosis services. As the House is aware, we have established a CHI oversight group to co-ordinate oversight of a range of matters being explored in terms of the improvement of scoliosis services generally. That includes the implementation of recommendations from various completed reviews, upcoming reports, spinal services, and the commissioning of the new children’s hospital. That group, which is co-chaired by the regional executive officer of the Dublin-midlands area and the chief clinical officer of the HSE, meets monthly. As Members will be aware from some of the reports, I received a high-level briefing from the CEO of the HSE on phase 1 of the Nayagam review on 28 January.”
“It is not for me to anticipate its findings or conclusions, but I need to update the House about a financial extension to the inquiry so that it can continue to do its work. I have already updated the Cabinet on this. This is an important update, not only in terms of the conduct and public nature of the hearings that are going to happen later this year and what that will mean for families and advocates who will go through that part of the inquiry process, but also because I believe an additional financial element is appropriate to provide support for the inquiry. We have an established inquiry, the work of which is progressing, and we have some updates on its work. There are also updates on the two facilitated processes that the Government confirmed this week. It is important that I have updated the House on those.”
“It is critically important that individuals do not stop taking prescribed medication without appropriate medical advice. Abruptly discontinuing anti-seizure medication can pose serious risks to a person’s health. Anyone with concerns about their treatment should consult a qualified healthcare professional, who is best placed to provide individual clinical advice. The inquiry hearings are scheduled to take place later this year. These processes are proceeding in accordance with the inquiry’s mandate and in a way that seeks to balance careful examination of the issues with sensitivity to those involved. Obviously the inquiry is independent of the Government. It is tasked with establishing facts, examining systems and practices within their historical context, and making recommendations where appropriate.”
“This reflects a clear recognition that participation in an inquiry of this nature can be demanding and, for many, emotionally difficult, and that appropriate supports are essential to enabling people to come forward. The inquiry is being conducted in distinct strands, under the independent direction of the chair. These strands include a review of the historical regulation and use of sodium valproate; the gathering of experiences from affected individuals and families through oral statements; and an examination of current systems and supports, including the health service's capacity to respond to safety issues relating to the use of anti-seizure medications in women of child-bearing potential. In that context, I want to emphasise an important public health message reflected in the inquiry’s work to date.”
“Engagement has taken place with a wide range of stakeholders, alongside substantial preparatory and review work, to ensure the inquiry is positioned to examine the relevant matters in a thorough, structured and independent manner. A nationwide public awareness campaign was also undertaken to ensure that individuals and families who may wish to engage with the inquiry are aware of it and understand how to do so, resulting in strong levels of engagement. A central feature of the inquiry has been its emphasis on supporting participants. A range of practical and professional supports have been put in place to facilitate engagement, including psychological supports for individuals and families who choose to participate.”
“Many of them have engaged with this process after long periods of advocacy, often in deeply personal and challenging circumstances. It is essential that this work continues to be carried out in a way that respects those experiences and supports people to engage in a manner that is safe, dignified and meaningful. As Members will be aware, the public-facing work of the inquiry commenced once the necessary legal basis was in place for the processing of sensitive personal data and that took some time. This required the making and signing of three statutory instruments under the Data Protection Act 2018, which I did on 21 July 2025. This enabled the inquiry to formally commence its work the following day. Since commencement, the inquiry has been actively progressing its work in line with its terms of reference.”
“The then Government approved the establishment of this inquiry in July 2023 in response to long-standing and serious concerns raised by women and families regarding the use of this medication, and the information, warnings and safeguards that were in place or not in place over time. Their experiences, often involving many years of uncertainty, medical complexity and profound emotional impact, deserve to be fully understood and acknowledged. I thank all of the people who advocated for that work. I have had the good fortune and opportunity to meet them and hear from them. Following a competitive process, Ms Bríd O’Flaherty BL was appointed as an independent chair in June 2024 and has since led the establishment and progression of the inquiry’s work. I acknowledge the women and families whose personal experiences underpin this inquiry.”
“We are committed to establishing a public inquiry and will take recommendations from Mr. Staines in the same way as to the content, form and structure of an appropriate inquiry that meets all of the needs that have been identified. Again, that decision comes back to me, as Minister, to the Government and to this House. Our commitment is to ensure a process that recognises the suffering experienced, honours the voices of victims and survivors, and seeks a path towards truth and healing. The third inquiry on which I want to update the House is the non-statutory inquiry into the historical licensing and use of sodium valproate in women of child-bearing potential in the State.”
“During the process, Dignity4Patients will have the support of expert trauma-informed advisers: Maeve Lewis, former CEO of One in Four; Professor Phil Scraton, a specialist in inquests and inquiry models; and their solicitor, Diarmuid Brecknell of Phoenix Law. Mr. Staines will receive all of the necessary supports to ensure that a victim-centred, trauma-informed, human rights-based approach underpins the scoping exercise and any subsequent statutory processes. The well-being of victims and survivors will remain central throughout this process. The final report and recommendations will be submitted to me and to the Government to guide the development of an appropriate and bespoke response to the issues raised, and to the needs identified by Dignity4Patients on behalf of the victims and survivors of Michael Shine.”
“He will discuss potential terms of reference for this scoping exercise and, ultimately, any inquiry in direct consultation with Dignity4Patients. Mr. Staines has two decades of experience in criminal, regulatory and administrative law. He is widely recognised for his specialist work with victims and vulnerable witnesses, particularly in sensitive cases involving sexual violence. He has advised both the Minister for justice and the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre on reforms to better protect people in the criminal process. Mr. Staines will fulfil his role as a facilitator through direct engagement with victims and survivors of Michael Shine, working alongside Dignity4Patients.”
“For decades, victims and survivors of Michael Shine have carried trauma and have sought recognition and accountability. Their strength and willingness to continue pressing for the truth must be met with compassion, seriousness and action. On Tuesday I informed the Government of the appointment of Mr. Lorcan Staines SC as the independent facilitator to conduct this scoping exercise, again in engagement with Dignity4Patients and its legal representatives. I had been engaging with the Attorney General, considering the requirements for this facilitated exercise, to identify a suitable independent person of appropriate stature, experience and willingness to undertake this role. Again, it was on his recommendation that I appointed Mr. Staines, who commenced his work yesterday, 3 March. The exercise will similarly run for up to 16 weeks.”
“By the time of his retirement, he was already the subject of multiple allegations of sexual abuse going back to the 1970s. Dignity4Patients has been campaigning on behalf of the victims for many years. The organisation has long sought a full inquiry into the sexual abuse of patients and in the past year has sought a commission of investigation. I recognise that many people and families across Meath and Louth, in particular, will be impacted by the very fact that these statements are being made in the Dáil today. I acknowledge that. It is also the case that on 26 November, the Government agreed that a timebound scoping exercise be undertaken by an independent person in response to requests from Dignity4Patients on behalf of victims and survivors of Michael Shine.”
“I now want to turn to the Dignity4Patients scoping exercise, which was initiated in response to requests from survivors, victims and advocates of those harmed by Michael Shine. At the outset, I would like to recognise the many individuals impacted by Mr. Shine, some of whom I have had the good fortune and opportunity to meet. I recognise that the number of people impacted is reported as being in the considerably high hundreds. This is an enormously significant moment for this group. Mr. Michael Shine, a former surgeon, worked in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda from 1964 until 1995. In March 1995, the CEO of the hospital was made aware of a complaint of abuse against Mr. Shine by the North Eastern Health Board. Mr. Shine took leave while the complaint was being addressed and subsequently retired in October 1995.”
“The lived experiences are vital to shaping an inquiry that truly reflects the needs and realities of the children and families affected in so many different ways by spinal and orthopaedic services in CHI historically. Once this scoping exercise has been completed, further Government approval will be sought for the final terms of reference and the nature of a statutory process. It is of course for the Government and the Minister to take the advice of Mr. Farrell on the structure, content and form of the inquiry, recognising that different forms of inquiry deliver different sorts of processes. The purpose of appointing Mr. Farrell in that facilitated way is to try to give us the best advice in relation to that.”
“Farrell, who is a highly respected senior counsel with extensive experience in sensitive and complex matters, will now lead a structured programme of engagement designed to ensure the voices of families, patients and the different advocacy groups with enormous experience of these issues are central to the process. While Mr. Farrell is known for his expertise in complex legal matters, what is most needed here is his proven ability to approach sensitive issues with great humanity and great respect. I hope everybody will feel able to engage meaningfully with him and with this process. I strongly encourage full engagement with Mr. Farrell.”
“I would also like to acknowledge the work of the paediatric spinal task force, in particular the contributions of the three advocacy groups that have represented patients, as well as the chair, Mark Connaughton SC. The Tánaiste and I met the parents of Harvey Morrison Sherratt in September and agreed to work in partnership with parents and advocacy groups across the board on the structure of an inquiry into spina bifida and complex scoliosis services at CHI. Following those engagements and engagements with the broad advocacy group, I brought a memo to the Government where it was agreed that a public inquiry into spina bifida and complex scoliosis services should be established. Mr.”
“I wrote to the following groups earlier this week to inform them of this step: Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus Ireland; Scoliosis Awareness and Support Ireland; the Cerebral Palsy Foundation; the Scoliosis Advocacy Network; the Spina Bifida and-or Hydrocephalus Paediatric Advocacy Group; Scoliosis Ireland; Orthokids Ireland and the hip dysplasia advocacy groups. I informed all of these groups that Mr. Farrell would be commencing his work on 3 March, which was yesterday, and that the exercise would run for up to 16 weeks. This marks a significant and much-anticipated step forward. I am pleased that this work is now under way. I thank the families and the various groups for their feedback to me and the Department on the appointment of Mr. Farrell. I know that many of them have been waiting for this announcement for some time.”
“As an initial step, the Government agreed that a facilitator will be appointed to consult stakeholders on scoping the content of potential terms of reference for an inquiry. This scoping exercise is designed to ensure that when a public inquiry is established, it has structures and parameters that reflect the needs of children and families of patients, are grounded in evidence and avoid duplication with existing statutory or clinical processes. In this regard, I have engaged with the Attorney General, considering the requirements for this facilitated exercise, to identify a suitable independent person of appropriate stature, experience and willingness to undertake this role. It was on his recommendation that I have appointed Mr. Remy Farrell SC as the independent facilitator to conduct this scoping exercise.”
“I will begin with the Children's Health Ireland, CHI, inquiry scoping exercise and the Dignity4Patients scoping exercise. I do so because on Tuesday I had the opportunity to update the Cabinet on the progress with both of these and it is important that I update the House. Both exercises are at an early stage and I will address them in turn, before moving on to the non-statutory inquiry into the historical licensing and use of sodium valproate in women of child-bearing potential in this State. First, the scoping exercise into potential terms of reference for a public inquiry into spina bifida and complex-----”
“I welcome the opportunity to address the House on a number of important inquiry processes that have been established or are in the process of being established by the State in the health sector, and to update Members on progress to date. I also want to put these updates in the context of the human experiences that underpin them. We must always remember that long before any inquiry is agreed, before any terms of reference are drafted and before any report is delivered, there are lived experiences at the centre of these issues. Children, parents, families and survivors are all people with very deep memories of the things that have happened to them. These people's voices and experiences must shape our work and their needs must remain central to the process.”
“I acknowledge and appreciate the strong engagement from HIQA in respect of this legislation, including in the wider context of giving full effect to the EU regulation on the European health data space, of which this Bill is the first step. As part of this work, HIQA leads on a number of grant-funded work packages, including on data quality and the development of a metadata catalogue.”
“With respect to where I see a difficulty and cause for concern, I commit to updating Senators both publicly in the Seanad and privately on the progress or lack thereof in respect of improving the data-sharing culture in health services generally. The amendment provides for the HSE to consult HIQA in the preparation of guidelines in relation to the Act. While the HSE has been tasked with the preparation of guidelines under the Bill, the amendment acknowledges the central role of HIQA in developing health information standards within healthcare settings as well as the importance and necessity of drawing from and building on national expertise to ensure effective implementation of the legislation.”
“Section 21 mandates the HSE, following consultation, to prepare guidelines for the purposes of the Bill, including on the digital format and standards required in respect of Part 2, on the statutory duty to share. I thank the Senators for their interest in and engagement on the quality of information shared in respect of patients. While I have reported important progress to Senators today, I acknowledge their ongoing interest in this. I will continue to report to the Seanad on the progress on the sharing of health information across the system in terms of both section 38 hospitals and private hospitals.”
“The amendment allows for further consultation with the Department of Social Protection and provides clarification for the benefit, in particular, of a health services provider or relevant person that using or seeking a PPSN for the purposes set out in the Bill is not an offence under section 262(9) of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005.”
“It also empowers a health services provider to request a patient to provide his or her PPSN, empowers the HSE to use a PPSN to identify a patient in order to identify and link the patient's health information to his or her electronic record, and mandates a relevant person, as defined in the Bill, to provide a PPSN of a patient where the number is requested by the HSE and the relevant person has the PPSN in his or her possession. Importantly, a patient shall not be refused a health service solely because he or she has not been issued with a PPSN or is not in a position to provide his or her PPSN.”
“Our health system needs a robust and proven identifier so that health information can effectively and reliably be associated with the right individual. That is essential for care and treatment, as well as for patient safety. The Bill aims to enhance patient safety through a stronger identification process, including best practice use of PPSNs and eircodes to uniquely identify patients. Amendments tabled on Committee Stage in the Dáil provided for the insertion of a new section 12, mandating a health services provider to record the PPSNs of his or her patients and associate them with any record that health services provider makes in relation to the provision of health services to patients.”
“As the Senator will appreciate, not only for the technical legislative purposes and the way in which this Bill fits into a broader suite of domestic and European legislation, the confidentiality piece is integral to how we are going to develop this electronic health record from a systems protection perspective and a patient participation perspective and so, for the purposes of this Bill, I cannot accept the amendment. However, I will have a conversation with the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, about how we might address the substantive question in the Senator's amendment and how we might think better about that for the future. I hope that will be of some satisfaction to the Senator.”
“It is my understanding that 90% of people accessing treatment involve their families in some form. This does not answer the question posed by the Senator where that was not so. People are actively encouraged by their multidisciplinary teams to involve family members in their care and treatment. Conversations on consent and the involvement of family should be ongoing and reactive to the person's changing condition. Where a person does not consent to having his or her personal health information shared, that must be respected outside very limited circumstances, which is the place where better discussion may be had.”
“The Health Information Bill complements and builds on the rights of natural persons provided at European and domestic level with the GDPR in respect of their personal data. It has been necessary to have sustained and positive engagement with the Data Protection Commission throughout the drafting process of this Bill. People accessing mental health services deserve the same rights as people accessing any other form of health service. I acknowledge the intent of the particular difficulty raised by the Senator. I support the involvement of family members and loved ones in any person's care and treatment across the HSE, including where somebody accesses mental health services, as those who have a better and stronger network and the involvement of their family tend to have better outcomes.”
“I am not able to accept the amendment in the context of this legislation but I do not wish for that to take away from the significance and importance of what the Senator has raised, nor the intent of his amendment, which is to enable a gentleman like Mr. McGinley to have broader access to issues that are directly of concern to him. I have to say that in the context of this Bill and in order to ensure its compliance with the broader legislation within which it fits, including domestic and European legislation, the protection of patient privacy and upholding data protection principles are fundamental to patient confidence in the handling of their health information for the broader system.”