I appreciate the opportunity to raise this issue, but I do so with anger and frustration on behalf of Evan Gardiner and his family, who are constituents of mine in Kildare North who have been utterly failed by Children's Health Ireland and by the system. In September 2022, Evan was assessed by Mr. Pat O'Toole who recommended urgent surgeries on his knees, his ankles and, potentially, his hip. The advice was unambiguous: without intervention Evan faced the risk of lifelong mobility issues, including possible wheelchair dependency. That was over three years ago, and no surgery has taken place. Since then, Evan's family have done everything that has been asked of them. They attended every appointment, followed every piece of medical advice and remained fully engaged with CHI, yet instead of action, they were told Evan had been lost in the system; a child with a severe and deteriorating condition lost in the system. That is completely indefensible. To make matters worse, Evan's father, Vincent, is himself undergoing cancer treatment. The family is under immense pressure, and they deserve clarity, compassion and timely care, not entities and cancellations and, to be honest, excuses. My office became directly involved in May of this year. Since then, we have contacted CHI and the HSE over 40 times by email and over 20 times by phone. Every one of those contacts is documented and with me today. If this is the effort that a TD has to make to try to get some sort of answer, what hope do parents have in situations like this? It is completely farcical. I will give the Minister of State another example. Last Friday, the family received a letter telling them that the surgery on 10 October was cancelled. I submitted today's Topical Issue last Friday, and on Monday, they sent a letter saying that the surgery on 10 October is back on. I will mention some of the other communications between CHI, the HSE and me and my office. On 23 June, I submitted a parliamentary question. The response took nearly four weeks and when it arrived on 7 August, it was incomplete. It failed to acknowledge two full years of Evan’s medical history, a critical period of assessments, consultations and missed opportunities. That omission was disgraceful. On 26 September, as I said, Evan's long-awaited appointment on 9 October was cancelled by phone with no explanation given. On 29 September, as I mentioned, CHI confirmed that Evan's surgery had been rescheduled for 10 October but yesterday afternoon, Vincent, his father, received a phone call from Crumlin hospital saying that Evan is now to be admitted on 9 October with surgery on 10 October. Does the Minister of State think it is any coincidence that once the Topical Issue matter was submitted for this morning, suddenly, CHI at Crumlin got into action? This is something we are seeing time and time again, not just myself but other Deputies. We raise numerous parliamentary questions. We contact the relevant phone lines and email addresses, yet it takes standing here in the Dáil for anything to happen. It is not feasible for the number of families throughout the country, like Evan's, that TDs, as in this instance, are raising individual cases to try to get some action. This case also shines a harsh light on how CHI is treating families. It also shows how CHI treats elected representatives. As I said, if a TD with every avenue open to him or her cannot get timely, honest information, how on earth are families supposed to get the answers they need? I have a number of questions I will put to the Minister of State in the final two minutes. This is a situation we are seeing. Harvey Sherratt was one example, and now we are seeing an inquiry into what happened there. This is not just in relation to hip dysplasia and scoliosis. This is going across the board into multiple areas of children's health. I welcome the decision that CHI is now going to be subsumed into the HSE because as far as I am concerned, it is not fit for purpose.

Sentiment score: -0.06

Go raibh maith agat, a Aire Stáit. This surgery was scheduled previously, and it was cancelled. Surgery is a traumatic and worrying period for any person no matter what age. For any of us with children, it is even more worrying and scary. Then for the child, it is extremely traumatic, and how a parent deals with that is extremely difficult. For surgery to be scheduled, cancelled, rescheduled and cancelled is far more difficult on a family than the actual surgery itself in a lot of instances because of the fear that the hope of getting something done will be taken away. There is also, naturally, concern about the impacts and dangers that come with surgery. I know the Minister of State is not the direct line Minister for Health, but I will ask three particular direct questions of him today. If he could give them to the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, I would appreciate an answer. How can it be justified that a child at risk of permanent disability has been left languishing in the system, in this case for over three years, and in other cases even longer? How is it acceptable that CHI can refuse to provide written explanations to a parent whose child's surgery is being cancelled? What accountability will be put in place to ensure the culture of indifference finally ends? As I said, this is not an isolated case. Families across Ireland are waiting far too long for essential procedures. CHI's failures are well known, and while it is now being folded into the HSE, changing the letterhead will not fix the problem. We need structural reform and a complete change in culture that places the child at the centre, not bureaucracy. I ask the Minister of State to acknowledge the unacceptable delays in Evan's case, investigate why this family were put through years of suffering and ensure that the Gardiner family receive not only timely surgery but also a full apology for how they have been treated. Evan's surgery must now proceed on 10 October, and nothing less will do to be honest.

Sentiment score: -0.14