HSE Statement - HSE published Terms of Reference of external review established to examine the care provided to Rebecca and Pat Kiely

The HSE has today published the Terms of Reference of the external review established to examine the care provided to Rebecca and Pat Kiely during their pregnancy and following the loss of their baby Christopher in 2019. The review will be chaired by Niall Buckley Senior Counsel.

In November last year, the HSE CEO Bernard Gloster met with Rebecca and Pat Kiely and provided them with a full apology on behalf of the health service for the devastating loss of their baby Christopher following their care at the National Maternity Hospital, Holles Street in 2019.

Commenting Bernard Gloster said:

“Following my meeting with Rebecca and Pat late last year, I committed to commencing an independent external review of their case to understand fully what happened in relation to the care provided to them and ensure learning across our services. I have now appointed Niall Buckley SC to chair this external review process and have published the terms of reference to support this work. I have asked Mr Buckley to examine all of the elements of the care provided and to make recommendations, where appropriate. The review process will begin immediately and will be concluded in the quickest timeframe possible.

“I again absolutely acknowledge that no words or actions can undo the loss suffered by Rebecca and Pat, but I hope the establishment of this review will allow us better understand what went wrong in relation to their care and learn from it.”

The Terms of Reference document is available here.