Report Into Drain Cleaner Incident At Ennis HSE Dental Clinic Inconclusive

An investigation into how over 40 children were treated with drain cleaner at a HSE Dental Clinic in Ennis has proven inconclusive.

The HSE has concluded it’s review of the events that unfolded at it’s clinic on Bindon Street last October, and last night met with staff and parents to outline the findings of the report.

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The HSE’s Dental Clinic on Bindon Street closed for two days in early October after it emerged that water containers used in dental treatment were contaminated with diluted drain cleaner.

A report into the incident finds that 15 of the 43 children who had received treatment experienced some form of adverse symptoms, including blistering on gums and nausea.

That same report, which was presented to parents last night, has now been published, but has failed to establish when and by whom the drain fluid was added to the water supplying the dental equipment.

A bottle containing the fluid was found in a cupboard in the clinic’s Central Sterile Service Department room.

While the report does not establish how this occurred, it has found that internal security within the dental clinic is poor, that there are staffing shortages in the sterile room, and that there is a lack of written standard operating procedures.

The HSE says all of these findings have been responded to and new processes are being put in place and monitored to ensure a similar situation doesn’t arise in the future.

The report also contains an apology to the children and families affected by last October’s incident, and also to others who were unaffected but suffered anxiety as a result.