Minister receives report into care of boy who died after wait for spinal surgery

By Gráinne Ní Aodha, PA

The Health Minister has received a report on the timeline of care for a young child who died this year after dealing with long delays for scoliosis surgery.

Harvey Morrison, nine, who had scoliosis and spina bifida, died on July 29th.

His parents, Stephen Morrison and Gillian Sherratt, said their son waited years for spinal surgery, during which time the curve in his spine went from 75 degrees to 130 degrees.

By the time Harvey received spinal surgery last December, the curve had reached the point where it could not be fully corrected.

The curve caused his rib cage to twist around his lungs and heart, severely restricting his breathing.

His parents, opposition politicians and campaigners have called for Simon Harris, the Tánaiste and former minister for health, to step down after he pledged in 2017 that no child would wait more than four months for scoliosis treatment.

Speaking in Dublin on Thursday, Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill said she had received a report into the timeline of the care the boy received.

She said she remains available to speak to the boy’s family about the details of it at a time of their choosing, but would not discuss the review publicly before speaking to the family.

“It wouldn’t be appropriate for me to speak about an individual case where (HSE chief executive Bernard Gloster) and I hadn’t had the opportunity to discuss the review in detail with the families,” she said.

Mr Gloster said he was conscious that it was just over a month since Harvey had died and said it “remains a very difficult and challenging” time for his family.

“I got a draft timeline from CHI around their engagement with Harvey.

“I am now engaged with the family in correspondence. I am hoping that at some point in future, they would like to take the opportunity to meet with me to discuss that.

“One of the things we’ve learned over the years is that when we review cases, no matter how professionally or well we do it, one of the constant criticisms we hear is that we didn’t engage the family at the very start of our process, and I want to do that.

“But I have to be fair and sensitive and allow them the time and space, they clearly are grieving at the moment, and they need to be allowed to do that.

“I’m absolutely clear we will engage with them, and I have made it very clear I will facilitate them in any engagement they’re going to have.”