Two independent reports into children's surgeries are expected to be completed soon, it has been confirmed.
One report commissioned by Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) into hip operations is going through due process and will then be provided to the Health Service Executive.
HSE chief Bernard Gloster said that the report should conclude very shortly and when it is received, it will decide on the response, in conjunction with the Department of Health.
Mr Gloster said it will be important to make sure that as much information as possible that is relevant is published, regarding the report.
He added that the HSE is not waiting for the audit to make improvements across CHI sites.
This review by a UK expert has looked at a randomised, anonymised sample of dysplasia of the hip operations between 2021-2023, in young children at the CHI sites at Crumlin and Temple Street and the National Orthopaedic Hospital Cappagh.
The review will establish if the threshold for surgery varied between the hospitals and whether all the surgeries were necessary.
A second report commissioned by the HSE into spinal surgery by a consultant at Temple Street has gone through legal proofing, Mr Gloster also said.
He added that any report that comments on an individual, or a group of identifiable individuals, must be subject to fair process.
This review is being conducted by Mr Selvadurai Nayagam, Consultant in Orthopaedics and Trauma, at the Royal Liverpool University and Royal Liverpool Children’s Hospitals.
It arises from serious concerns identified by CHI relating to poor surgical outcomes in spinal surgery at Temple Street, the use of a certain spinal surgical technique and the use of unauthorised implantable devices by one consultant, who remains on leave.
When completed, the report will be submitted to the Chief Clinical Officer of the HSE, Dr Colm Henry, who commissioned the report.
After it is received by the HSE, the report will also be discussed with the Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill.
Minister MacNeill and the HSE chief executive are due to meet the CHI board next week, for an update on its implementation plan, following the findings and recommendations in the recent HIQA report into spinal surgeries by one consultant at Temple Street, who remains on leave.
