Niall Muldoon, Ombudsman for Children, who wrote to HSE chief executive Bernard Gloster about the treatment of sick children There comes a time when the bland language of corporate responsibility no longer suffices for the task of describing a system that daily causes pain and suffering for the most vulnerable in society. That point appears to have been reached by the Children’s Ombudsman, Niall Muldoon.
In a strongly worded letter sent to Health Service Executive chief executive Bernard Gloster earlier this year and published this week by The Irish Times, Dr Muldoon charges that the HSE has “seriously failed in its duty to uphold the rights of children to the best possible healthcare”. He describes an “apparent dereliction of duty by the State, through the HSE” in the areas of mental health and disability services.
Coming from the person tasked with defending the rights of the country’s children, Dr Muldoon’s words should carry a particular moral and institutional force. But the chronic shortfalls and dysfunction that bedevil the State’s provision of these vital services have long been a public scandal. Many families across the country have testified to this, and it has been the subject of two recent damning reports.
While inadequate resources clearly form part of the problem, the Department of Health points to significant increases in overall mental health spending since 2020. But the Ombudsman’s letter focuses on how inadequate co-operation between different parts of the health service continues to frustrate and challenge children and their families.