The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) carried out a number of inspections throughout the country to assess compliance with the European Union (Basic Safety Standards for Protection against Dangers Arising from Medical Exposure to Ionising Radiation) Regulations 2018 and 2019. The practices involved are:-
- Bantry General Hospital;
- The Mater Private in Cork;
- University Hospital Kerry.
- Rowe Creavin Medical Practice in Waterford,
- Meridian Dental Clinic Clarehall, Dublin;
- River Lee Dental;
- Touchstone Dentistry in Dublin;
Recent inspections undertaken between July and November 2021 have found 7 out of 12 medical and dental practices inspected by HIQA have been found to be in breach of regulations relating to compliance issues and governance issues concerning the control of exposure to ionising radiation. Medical exposure to ionising radiation is when radiation is used as part of diagnosis such as an X-ray or CT scan, for medical research purposes or in the use of radiotherapy as part of cancer treatment. It also includes carers and comforters who are exposed to radiation while attending to a patient.
Urgent compliance plans were issued to River Lee Dental, due to the absence of medical physics experts’ involvement. At University Hospital Kerry, it was found that the hospital was required to make urgent improvements to ensure that governance of radiology services had more clinical input and oversight. HIQA concluded that Bantry General Hospital needed to “address its documentation of justification of individual medical exposures in order to assure itself that it was meeting the regulations”. In its report HIQA said in relation to The Mater Private Cork that inspectors found that “complex governance arrangements” meant responsibility for medical exposures within the service was unclear.
If you are a patient and concerned that you have been adversely affected by the treatment you received please do not hesitate to contact our offices on 021 2390620 or email us at deirdre.rafferty@mdmsolicitors.ie for more information.