Latest news with #CHI
Irish Times
2 days ago
- Health
- Irish Times
Dublin children's hospital ‘misplaces' child's record in ‘serious data-protection breach'
A Dublin children's hospital has had a 'serious data-protection breach' after a patient's healthcare record was 'misplaced', a memo sent to staff said. It comes in the same week as an unannounced inspection by the Data Protection Commission (DPC) following concerns about the accessibility of patient charts in a shared office at Children's Health Ireland (CHI) Tallaght . On Friday, Sarah Hartnett, data-protection officer at CHI , sent a memo to all staff members entitled 'misplaced healthcare records'. 'A healthcare record has recently been reported misplaced at CHI. Despite a thorough search process, the original record has not been recovered,' the memo said. READ MORE 'In accordance with our statutory obligations, this incident has been reported to the Data Protection Commission'. According to Ms Hartnett, this is a 'serious data-protection breach and a reminder of the critical importance of following all healthcare record procedures'. 'Staff must strictly comply with the HSE standards for healthcare records management and CHI data-protection policies'. Separately, the DPC carried out an unannounced inspection at CHI Tallaght last week on foot of a complaint. The inspection took place in a shared office for non-consultant hospital doctors (NCHDs) on the first floor of the hospital. It is understood the door to the shared office, containing hundreds of patient charts, was propped open – making it accessible to people walking by. When closed properly, the door is locked with a keypad. Dr Turlough Bolger, a consultant in emergency medicine, sent an email to staff at the hospital on Thursday morning, the day after the inspection. 'The report will be received in the coming weeks but they expressed concern regarding the number of charts in the room yesterday (approx 320 charts) and the amount of loose pages with patient details,' his email states. 'I expect that the recommendations will be wide-ranging and damaging to CHI at Tallaght.' Dr Bolger said he appreciates the 'hard work' made by staff to reduce the number of outstanding discharge charts in recent weeks, which has seen a 'significant reduction' from 900 to 600 charts. 'I have said repeatedly that there needs to be a sustainable approach to this issue. Ultimately, as the accountable officer in CHI at Tallaght, I am responsible for the overall situation regarding medical records.' Dr Bolger said as the accountable officer, he 'cannot rely on blitzes to clear backlogs as routine'. In order to clear the current backlog, Dr Bolger said he had requested that four NCHDs be allocated to discharges daily. He added that there was a need for 'an emphasis on the use of the confidential shredding bin for most of the loose pages'. A spokesman for the DPC confirmed a team carried out an inspection at CHI Tallaght last week. 'Enquiries relating to this inspection are ongoing at present,' the spokesman said. 'We are not in a position to provide any further comment at this time.' In relation to the unannounced inspection, a spokeswoman for CHI said a data breach 'has not been confirmed at this time' and the inspection related to a 'potential data breach'. 'Immediate measures have been taken to reduce any potential risk, including reinforcing physical safeguards and engaging directly with staff,' the spokeswoman said. 'Additional actions will follow, as appropriate, in line with our internal procedures and any recommendations issued by the DPC as part of its broader oversight.' The spokeswoman added that CHI is transitioning to a 'fully digital health records system and, once complete, this will significantly reduce reliance on paper charts'. CHI has faced significant public and political scrutiny in recent months, particularly in relation to the governance and oversight of its paediatric orthopaedic services.
Irish Times
15-07-2025
- Health
- Irish Times
CHI apologises for delay in diagnosing liver cancer in toddler who later died
Children's Health Ireland (CHI) has unreservedly apologised for a delay in diagnosing childhood liver cancer in a girl who later died. Eveen Sheehy was 2 ½ years old when she died six years ago. Her family's senior counsel, Oonah McCrann, instructed by Niamh Ní Mhurchu solicitor, told the High Court it was their case that there were 'multiple missed opportunities, missed diagnosis and a delay in treatment'. Eveen's family are 'tortured by the 'what if'', Ms McCrann said. READ MORE The case came before the court as the Sheehy family settled an action against CHI over Eveen's death. In a letter read to the court CHI unreservedly apologised for the delay in diagnosis and acknowledged the impact and trauma of Eveen's death. The letter, which was signed by CHI chief executive Lucy Nugent, stated: 'We acknowledge and deeply regret the delay in Eveen's diagnosis and again would like to express our deepest condolences on the loss of your daughter.' Eveen's father, Ciaran Sheehy, of Tuam, Co Galway, had sued CHI. Ms McCrann told the court Eveen was born with a congenital heart condition and had a number of hospitalisations and surgeries. She said a CAT scan in February 2018 that included some of the child's upper abdomen was 'erroneously reported as normal'. In October of that year, Ms McCrann said, it was noted that Eveen had an enlarged liver, which should have been fully investigated. It was not until May 2019 that Eveen had an MRI scan of her abdomen at the Crumlin hospital and the liver cancer diagnosis was made. She was given chemotherapy but it was decided she was not a candidate for liver resection or a liver transplant and to the 'enormous grief and distress of her family,' she died that December. The High Court proceedings alleged the February 2018 scan recorded Eveen's upper abdomen as 'unremarkable' when the images allegedly showed an abnormality in the liver at the periphery of the CAT scan. Had the 2cm abnormality been noted and reported, the case alleges, Eveen would have undergone further scans, including an MRI and blood tests. It was contended that on the balance of probabilities Eveen would have had a diagnosis within a week or two. It was claimed there was a gross delay in diagnosing Eveen with liver cancer, which resulted in a consequent delay in the commencement of treatment and reduction in treatment options. Noting the settlement and approving the division of a €35,000 statutory mental distress payment, Mr Justice Paul Coffey said this was a particularly tragic case.
Irish Examiner
15-07-2025
- Health
- Irish Examiner
CHI apologises for delay in diagnosing liver cancer in toddler, who later died
Children's Health Ireland has unreservedly apologised for a delay in diagnosing childhood liver cancer in a little girl, who later died. Eveen Sheehy was only two and half years old when she died six years ago. The family's counsel, Oonah McCrann SC instructed by Niamh Ní Mhurchú solicitor, told the High Court it was their case there were 'multiple missed opportunities, missed diagnosis and a delay in treatment'. Eveen's family, counsel said, were 'tortured by the what if'. The case was before the court as the Sheehy family settled an action against Children's Health Ireland over Eveen's death. In a letter which was read to the court, Children's Health Ireland (CHI) unreservedly apologised for the delay in diagnosis and acknowledged the impact and trauma of Eveen's death on the family. The letter, which was signed by CHI chief executive Lucy Nugent added: 'We acknowledge and deeply regret the delay in Eveen's diagnosis and again would like to express our deepest condolences on the loss of your daughter.' Ciaran Sheehy, Tuam, Co Galway, had sued Children's Health Ireland over the death of his daughter, Eveen. Counsel told the court Eveen was born with a congenital heart condition and had a number of hospitalisations and surgeries. She said a CT scan in February 2018, which included some of the child's upper abdomen, was 'erroneously reported as normal'. Counsel said in October of that year, it was noted the little girl had an enlarged liver and it should have been fully investigated. Ms McCrann said Eveen had an MRI scan of her abdomen at the Crumlin children's hospital in May 2019, and the liver cancer diagnosis was made. She was started on chemotherapy but it was decided the little girl was not a candidate for liver resection or a liver transplant and to the 'enormous grief and distress of her family', she died on December 18, 2019. In the proceedings, it was claimed that in February 2018 while in CHI Crumlin, Eveen had a scan which showed some of the upper abdomen. The upper abdomen was recorded as 'unremarkable' when, it is claimed, the images showed an abnormality in the liver at the periphery of the CT scan. Had the abnormality, which was a 2cm rounded area, been noted and reported, it is claimed the baby would have undergone further scans, including an MRI and blood tests. It was contended that on the balance of probabilities Eveen would have had a diagnosis within a week or two. It was claimed there was a failure to report an abnormality in the liver at the periphery of the CT scan in February 2018. There was, it was claimed, a gross delay in the diagnosis of liver cancer, resulting in a consequent delay in the commencement of treatment and reduction in treatment options. Noting the settlement and approving the division of the €35,000 statutory mental distress payment, Mr Justice Paul Coffey said it was a particularly tragic case. The judge extended his deepest sympathy to Eveen's parents, Ciaran and Sandra Sheehy, and her sister Brianna and the wider family.
Entrepreneur
15-07-2025
- Business
- Entrepreneur
Breathe, Then Build
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. You're reading Entrepreneur United Kingdom, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media. David Harris never set out to be a founder. For more than 30 years, he worked behind the scenes of the respiratory drug delivery industry, quietly growing frustrated with its obsession with imitation over innovation. Inhalers were treated as afterthoughts - mere packaging for the drug - and time after time, projects failed not due to lack of funding, but due to a lack of understanding of the physics that actually governs how patients breathe. In founding CHI, a Cambridge based healthcare technology company, Harris made a bold bet: that true change comes not from copying what exists, but from finally solving what doesn't. And to do that, he had to strike out on his own. Entrepreneur UK finds out more.... What inspired you to start your business? I've worked in the respiratory drug delivery industry for over 30 years, and my frustration has accumulated over this time as the industry has simply tried to copy existing tech - rather than addressing the real need. There is a huge sector set up around copying existing technology on the market. For example, I worked at a number of product and technology development consultancies and the vast majority of project work was focused on developing generic 'me-too' devices that didn't offer any improvement whatsoever for the patient. Pharmaceutical companies develop drugs - and treat the inhaler as packaging - and if it is easier to just copy something that is already proven, they aren't going to try and improve things. Copying existing devices isn't easy or cheap, so it is a false economy. Almost all of these projects fail, and never reach the market, or the patient. I didn't start my career dreaming of starting my own business. I've focused on inhalers because I want to improve patient outcomes. Over time I came to realise that this is what needs to be done for the industry to see real change, and as the consultancies I worked at were limited to do what was asked of them, starting a company to really innovate in this area seemed to be the most logical choice." What was the biggest challenge you faced in the early stages? Money. We nearly went under a few times, and that is hard especially when you have bills to pay. Developing technology takes time, licensing it takes time, and then getting through regulatory hurdles takes time, and there aren't many VC companies out there who have the patience for such long exit times. As a result, we've had to keep a tight control on costs while at the same time taking a lot of risks. Technically there are challenges too. The equipment that you need to acquire data is very expensive, so we had to invent cost-effective ways of testing the technology to prove out concepts, test our assumptions and to be able to confidently show potential customers and partners. There is also a significant lack of understanding within the pharmaceutical companies, and in fact generally, about respiratory physics. In a laboratory setting you can set up an experiment to mimic a patient inhaling in a very controlled manner - but in the real world it is a dynamic, transient, and complex event. Trying to work out what actually goes on has historically been difficult to do precisely, which is why clinical trials often just don't go as expected. That shows that the underlying physics are just not understood. How has the UK's economic environment impacted your business decisions? Ten years ago, it was possible to apply for grants, but there are fewer grants available and much stronger competition now. We've tried to stay clear of VCs as much as we can because we need people who understand the long timescales that are necessary for medical products, and the challenges of innovation. Instead, we've looked to partner with larger companies (like Aptar Pharma) in the industry who can bring expertise and commercial reach that we don't have. It was a model born out of necessity, but it is a very promising approach as it gives us a clear route to scalability, and that is important to our customers. How do you stay ahead of industry trends and innovate within your field? We listen and we try to understand the future barriers and challenges that the industry will face. For example, patients have very different inhalation capabilities, which can be affected by the condition that you are trying to treat. This lack of consistency among patients and in clinical trials is an issue, so we developed a platform called Aeolus, which has an in-built amplifier. This means that the formulation inside the inhaler doesn't know if it is being inhaled by an old person with poor lung function or an Olympic swimmer - they'd get very similar doses. Another example is that we also heard from the industry that new generations of large molecules (like biologics) will require larger masses of drug to be delivered. Rather than expecting a patient to use a traditional inhaler multiple times, we set about developing Quattrii, which is a platform specifically for large fill masses. There are many other trends that we've identified that impact on the decisions we make. But sometimes, inspiration comes from left field. When it comes to 'how' we innovate, that requires hiring the right people and creating the right culture. What steps do you take to build a strong company culture? We hire the right people. Being based in Cambridge gives us access to incredibly creative people, but we need people with integrity and who are open, honest and trustworthy. We empower everybody to contribute towards solving problems and, importantly, give them permission to fail. The reality is that we fail more than we succeed, but if we take the time to understand and challenge our failures, we can learn and improve. If you hire good, honest people and offer them a safe space, then they will feel able to take responsibility and have the freedom to explore solutions. What advice would you give to someone thinking about starting a business in the UK today? Don't let your ego get in the way. Pursue your ideas but don't become blinkered. Challenge your ideas and biases or find people who can. It's also important to be prepared for the financial risk, which can be difficult as you get older. I was in my late 40s when I started CHI, which meant that I had a good amount of industry experience and a large network, but at the same time I have children and a mortgage. At times, these financial pressures have felt overwhelming, especially in the early stages.
Irish Times
11-07-2025
- Health
- Irish Times
Government will not use Jordan to evacuate sick children from Gaza, despite previously saying route was ‘not an issue'
The Government will not use Jordan as an evacuation route to get very sick children out of Gaza , despite the Taoiseach saying use of the border crossing, which is preferred by Irish doctors, 'is not an issue for us at all'. On Wednesday the Chief Medical Officer and officials at the Department of Health met Health Service Executive and Children's Health Ireland staff who have been working on securing the safe evacuation of sick children from Gaza to Ireland. CHI and the HSE were told the department would not consider Jordan as an evacuation route for a planned operation to get children out of Gaza in the autumn. It likely means eight children medically identified by CHI staff for evacuation to Ireland in June may not be able to travel here due to the difficulties they may face travelling from Gaza to Egypt via the Rafah crossing. READ MORE Since May, the HSE and the CHI have told the Government that Jordan is a better route because a higher quality hospital in its capital, Amman, means Ireland would be able to evacuate much more seriously ill children. It is understood that medics involved in previous evacuations have had to choose children with lower complex needs due to some of the limits of the healthcare available to them if they are evacuated via Cairo. It is also understood that the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the European Union's Emergency Response Co-ordination Centre (ERCC) support Ireland using Jordan as an evacuation route instead of Egypt. On Wednesday, Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald asked Taoiseach Micheál Martin to include Jordan in the medical evacuation of children from Gaza. In response, Mr Martin said: 'We work with Jordan on a continuing basis wherever the children are. There is no issue for us in terms of the particular border crossing, the mechanism or the route out of Gaza. That is not an issue for us at all.' In a statement, the Department of Health said it was agreed at the 'constructive' meeting on Wednesday to use the established pathways in Egypt 'to expedite the logistical arrangements for the next medical evacuation of paediatric patients, their carers and families.' Egypt has been used as a route for two operations in December and May, which brought 12 paediatric patients as well as their carers and siblings to Ireland. 'There is still a long list of World Health Organisation-identified paediatric patients needing medical evacuation from Egypt. The HSE and CHI will work with the WHO on the ground to identify paediatric patients for medical evacuation to Ireland and put in place the necessary logistics for a medical evacuation through Egypt in the early autumn,' it said. In the Dáil on Thursday Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Harris said the Government is 'fully committed' to the medical evacuation of 18 more Palestinian children to Ireland for treatment. He said the 'ask' originally was for 'one child accompanied by one parent or one guardian'. He said this doesn't always work in practice, and 12 children came with accompanying adults, to bring the total to 45 people. 'So we've gone beyond one plus one for good humanitarian reasons. And the Minister for Health and the Minister for Justice have indicated that they just want to have absolute clarity on that,' Mr Harris said, adding this 'will not cause delay'. He said he and the Taoiseach discussed the issue on Monday and are 'fully committed to the medical evacuation programme'.
