The HSE is set to implement a new incident management policy which will allow for “quick local reviews” in a bid to speed-up examinations of adverse medical events and medical errors.
In the aftermath of the Savita Halappanavar tragedy, Savita’s widower Praveen criticised the fact that the team initially appointed to conduct the HSE investigation into his late wife’s care had included employees from the hospital where she had been treated. The HSE subsequently granted his request to remove those employees from the investigation team.
Patient Focus the lobby group for patients adversely affected by medical errors has long been advocating for an urgent review into how adverse events are investigated in Irish hospitals. They claim that many of the injuries and deaths that arise in Irish Hospitals are not properly and promptly investigated.
Speaking about the latest announcement Liam Moloney, Medical Negligence Solicitor said today, “It is critical that patients who have been injured through no fault of their own when undergoing treatment in Irish hospitals and under the care of Doctors have their complaints handled fairly and promptly. In many cases patients simply want to know why there was an adverse event and that lessons are learned. In many cases if there was a proper complaints procedure in place which dealt promptly with people’s complaints costly litigation could be avoided.”
