Scoliosis public inquiry must include children who aged out of paediatric care

• Chloe Maher’s death exposes another CHI failure and Government’s broken 2017 promise that no child would wait more than four months for surgery
• “Aging out” must not be used to exclude families from the inquiry – they deserve answers about their children’s care

Labour’s Health Spokesperson Marie Sherlock TD will write to the Minister for Health today to ensure that adults who received spinal care through paediatric services are included within the terms of reference of the public inquiry into spina bifida and complex scoliosis services.

Deputy Sherlock said:

“The tragic death of Chloe Maher raises the most serious concerns about failures in care that led to her untimely death. Chloe did not receive the treatment she needed while under the care of Children’s Health Ireland before transitioning to adult spinal services. She would have been just 14 years old when Simon Harris, then Minister for Health, promised that no child would wait more than four months for surgery.

“The Government’s failure to deliver on that promise has had devastating consequences. It has cut short lives, caused immense suffering, and left families grieving. Chloe, and so many other children who suffered in the care of CHI, deserved far better.I am very much in support of calls by advocacy groups to ensure that all of those who received care spinal care from CHI are included in the scope of the inquiry.

“While Remy Farrell SC has begun his scoping work to inform the terms of reference for the statutory public inquiry, it is essential that the inquiry extends to those who have aged out of paediatric spinal services. Their care in CHI must be examined. Too many are living with the consequences of delayed or inadequate treatment. They deserve answers.

“We have already seen ‘aging out’ used to narrow and restrict inquiries, including in the external medical audit into pelvic osteotomy procedures for children with developmental hip dysplasia. That cannot happen again. If we are serious about addressing the clinical failures at CHI, then every affected patient must be included.

“A core issue at the heart of CHI is the apparent lack of data and follow-up for children once they age out of paediatric services. That is deeply concerning. Without this information, we cannot assess whether transition pathways to adult spinal services are working.

“Chloe Maher’s death underlines the urgency of a full and inclusive inquiry. I want to extend my sincere condolences to her family on their devastating loss. We owe it to Chloe, to the children who have tragically died, and to those whose delayed care has left them without treatment options, to ensure that services and clinical governance systems are fundamentally reformed.”