Overview

• Nine-year-old Harvey Morrison Sherratt died on July 29 after irreversible spinal deterioration linked to prolonged delays in accessing scoliosis surgery.
• His removal from Children’s Health Ireland’s scoliosis waiting list without parental consent last August has fueled demands for procedural reforms.
• Harvey’s family and Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald are pressing for a face-to-face meeting, a public inquiry into CHI orthopaedic care and a vote of no confidence in Tánaiste Simon Harris.
• Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín has called for Harris’s resignation and immediate appearance before the Oireachtas Health Committee.
• End-of-July figures show 231 children on CHI spinal surgery waiting lists, with 38 waiting more than six months, falling short of a 2017 four-month treatment pledge.