The Health Minister says it's not appropriate for two government agencies to sue eachother.
It's after the HSE threatened legal action against the health watchdog to prevent the publication of a critical report into the deaths of five babies at the Midlands Hospital Portlaoise.
HIQA's draft report is understood to place some of the blame for the hospital's shortcomings on senior managers within the HSE.
Juliette Gash reports;
The HSE has issued a statement this afternoon, saying it had sought further meetings with HIQA to clarify certain issues. It says;
"Many members of HSE staff at local, Regional and National level, have participated in HIQA’s Investigation into the safety, quality and standards of services provided by the HSE to patients in the Midlands Regional Hospital, Portlaoise.
A full draft Report was presented to the DG of the HSE on February 2nd 2015 with a request for final comments on this Report within a two week period.
The Draft Report contained some factual inaccuracies, lacked context and balance and failed to give reasons for or to substantiate certain findings relating to parts of the HSE and/or certain individuals. (our emphasis)On further examination the DG noted that these individuals had not been furnished with the relevant information or documentation in order to allow them to appropriately respond to these findings.
Consequently, on February 13th, the DG wrote to HIQA assuring it of the HSE’s desire to assist and co-operate in completing a more contextual and procedurally fair Report and seeking a meeting to address shortcomings in the process.
HIQA declined the HSE’s offer to meet or to provide further information and supporting documentation to help to respond to the findings.
The HSE wrote a further three letters to HIQA seeking a meeting and further information and supporting documentation in order to allow the HSE and its staff members to respond appropriately to the inaccuracies and the certain findings.
HIQA did not accede to these further requests.
At that juncture the HSE gave consideration to seeking Court intervention in order to ensure that a more balanced and fair final report would ensue with appropriate input from HSE staff members who have had access to all of the relevant documentation from HIQA.
The HSE then wrote to the Department of Health on March 13th seeking it to intervene in the matter.
Following a meeting last week, HIQA and the HSE are now working in accordance with an agreed process to receive this necessary information and documentation and to bring finality to the HSE's input into the process of finalising the report.”.
