Hospital Procedures

738. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health the clinical investigations (details supplied) required at Children's Health Ireland before each growth rod lengthening procedure on children with traditional or magnetically controlled growth rods; if they are standardised across all cases; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27460/25]

739. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health the length of time that a pre-operative assessment is considered valid for a growth rod lengthening procedure at Children's Health Ireland; the protocols in place to repeat or update assessments in cases of cancellation or delay; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27461/25]

740. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health the average time between completion of pre-operative assessments and a growth rod lengthening procedure at Children's Health Ireland (CHI); if CHI has audited this timeframe against recognised best practice; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27462/25]

741. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health to provide copies of all relevant clinical policies, protocols, and standard operating procedures governing pre-operative assessment for paediatric growth rod lengthening at Children's Health Ireland (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27463/25]

742. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health if she will confirm whether Children's Health Ireland has a dedicated clinical protocol, policy, or standard operating procedure (SOP) for the identification, assessment, and perioperative management of children with known or suspected connective tissue disorders undergoing spinal surgery; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27464…

743. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health the pre-operative risk assessments in place at Children's Health Ireland for children with connective tissue disorders (details supplied), particularly in terms of anaesthetic risk, vascular fragility, wound healing, and spinal stability; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27465/25]

745. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health the post-operative protocols in place at Children's Health Ireland for monitoring children with connective tissue disorders who undergo spinal fusion or growth rod procedures; if these differ from standard care pathways; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27467/25]

747. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health if she will provide copies of all policies, protocols, and standard operating procedures relating specifically to the management of connective tissue disorders in paediatric patients undergoing orthopaedic or spinal surgery at Children's Health Ireland (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27469/25]

760. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Health the protocols in place in relation to the use of anaesthesia during the performance of cervical biopsies, considering accounts of women who were not administered anaesthetic and who describe the procedure as extremely painful and traumatic; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27528/25]

350. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health when he became aware that 2,260 families had been contacted as a result of the early recommendation from the audit into the unnecessary hip surgeries scandal; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26417/25]

187. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health the number of complaints or queries related to unnecessary hip surgeries or advised hip surgeries on children to Children’s Health Ireland since 2015 and prior to the protected disclosure made in 2023; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26361/25]

866. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Health the number of deep brain stimulation surgeries carried out in Beaumont Hospital, in 2024 and to date in 2025, in tabular form. [25857/25]

183. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Health if she will urgently examine the possibility of carrying out procedures that qualify under the EU cross border initiative in Irish hospitals; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23674/25]

1034. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Health if she will urgently examine the possibility of carrying out procedures that qualify under the EU cross border initiative in Irish hospitals (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23470/25]

420. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Health if she will direct Children’s Health Ireland to publish clinical criteria used when determining whether a leaky heart valve in a paediatric patient with a cardiac history requires further investigation or treatment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23018/25]

424. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Health if she will ensure that CHI introduces protocols requiring that parental concerns, particularly those regarding surgical risks are formally documented and reviewed as part of informed consent processes for high-risk paediatric interventions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23022/25]

426. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Health if there are standardised national protocols in place for the long-term monitoring of children with implanted cardiac devices such as pacemakers; if she is satisfied that these are consistently applied at CHI sites; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23029/25]

427. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Health to outline the current governance and accountability structures overseeing paediatric cardiology services within Children’s Health Ireland; to confirm whether independent clinical audits are routinely undertaken in cases involving rare complications; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23030/25]

428. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Health if her Department tracks data on rare complications associated with pacemaker leads in paediatric cases; if she will publish the number of such cases recorded in Ireland since 2010, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23031/25]

433. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Health if she will initiate an external audit of how Children’s Health Ireland manages diagnostic data and patient-submitted information (e.g. Holter monitor diaries); if she will investigate whether failures to retain such materials have impacted patient outcomes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23036/25]

446. Deputy Maurice Quinlivan asked the Minister for Health regarding the ongoing cancellation of elective and emergency surgeries at University Hospital Limerick, the reason for these cancellations; the steps being taken to address the issue; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23081/25]

447. Deputy Maurice Quinlivan asked the Minister for Health the number of surgeries cancelled on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis at University Hospital Limerick since January 2024, by type of procedure and reason for cancellation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23082/25]

448. Deputy Maurice Quinlivan asked the Minister for Health for a breakdown of emergency versus elective surgery cancellations at University Hospital Limerick and how these figures compare with other model 4 hospitals across the State; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23083/25]

449. Deputy Maurice Quinlivan asked the Minister for Health if any formal risk assessments or patient safety audits have been conducted at University Hospital Limerick in relation to the cancellation of surgeries; if so, if she will publish their findings and detail the impact this is having on patient safety; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23084/25]

451. Deputy Maurice Quinlivan asked the Minister for Health if her Department has set performance targets or issued intervention plans to the UL Hospitals Group in response to persistent surgical cancellations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23086/25]