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The recent death of nine-year-old Harvey Morrison Sherratt on 29 July 2025 has sparked a renewed and emotionally charged debate in Ireland over the state of its healthcare system, particularly the persistent delays in scoliosis treatment for children.
Harvey, a young boy from Clondalkin, Dublin, has now become a tragic symbol of systemic failures that have led to growing calls for political accountability.
Among those facing intense political scrutiny is Tánaiste Simon Harris, Ireland’s Deputy Prime Minister and former Minister for Health who served as Minister for Health from 2016 to 2020 and later as Taoiseach before assuming his current role in January 2025. Political opposition figures are now demanding his resignation.
Harvey’s story is one of profound loss and frustration. Diagnosed with spina bifida and scoliosis, conditions requiring timely medical intervention, Harvey faced significant delays in accessing critical spinal surgery.
According to his parents, Gillian Sherratt and Stephen Morrison, Harvey was first placed on a waiting list for urgent scoliosis surgery in February 2022 but did not receive the procedure until November 2023. During this delay of 33 months the family experienced additional distress when they discovered that Harvey had been removed from the Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) waiting list without their knowledge or consent, a revelation that compounded their sense of abandonment by the healthcare system.
While the exact cause of Harvey’s death remains undetermined, as stated by his mother, the prolonged wait for surgery and the perceived mismanagement of his case have fuelled public outrage and demands for accountability.
Mary Lou MacDonald, leader of the main opposition party, Sinn Fein, has directed pointed criticism at Tánaiste Simon Harris, citing a broken promise made in 2017 when Harris, as Health Minister, pledged that no child would wait longer than four months for scoliosis surgery.
McDonald has also intensified pressure on Harris, writing to him on 12 August 2025 to demand a meeting with Harvey’s parents.
McDonald’s call follows Harris’s earlier assurance to her, made on 18 September 2024, that he would engage directly with the family to discuss their Harvey’s care, an assurance that, as of Harvey’s funeral, had not been fulfilled.
Posts on X from Harvey’s mother, Gillian Sherratt, and advocacy groups like Scoliosis Network reflect deep frustration, accusing Harris of prioritising public relations over meaningful engagement with affected families.
These sentiments underscore a broader perception that the government’s response to the scoliosis crisis has been inadequate to say the least.
As the crisis for Harris continues to develop, Ireland’s Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe has come to Harris’s defence, emphasising the Tánaiste’s commitment to addressing scoliosis care during his tenure as both Health Minister and Taoiseach.
Donohoe, while acknowledging the tragedy of Harvey’s death and the grief of his family, has stated, “We have to respect that and allow them to make the points that they believe are important.” He also highlighted government efforts to reduce waiting times, including increased resources, clinical support, and operating theatre capacity, which he claimed have led to a reduction in both the number of children on waiting lists and the duration of their waits.
However, Donohoe conceded that “we always want to do more” and that the health service “did need to do better,” reflecting an acknowledgment of ongoing challenges despite progress.
A spokesperson for Harris has echoed this sentiment, noting that when Harvey’s case was brought to the Tánaiste’s attention during his time as Taoiseach, his office immediately contacted the Department of Health and the Health Service Executive (HSE) to ensure clinical attention was provided.
The spokesperson confirmed that an additional clinical assessment was conducted, and surgery was subsequently scheduled. Harris himself has expressed “deepest condolences” to Harvey’s family, emphasising his expectation that the Department of Health, HSE, and CHI will continue to support the family.
Children’s Health Ireland, in a statement that refrained from commenting on Harvey’s individual case noted that the spinal surgery waiting list is dynamic, with “important progress” being made monthly as patients receive treatment and new cases are added.
However, this explanation has done little to quell public and political criticism, particularly given the specific allegations of mismanagement in Harvey’s case.
The broader issues surround Ireland’s provision of scoliosis treatment were debated during an Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health’s meeting on 19 June 2025. This debate provides critical context for understanding the systemic issues at play.
The committee heard from advocacy groups, including the Scoliosis Advocacy Network, which detailed the ongoing crisis in paediatric scoliosis care.
The discussion highlighted that despite government commitments, many children continue to face waits far exceeding the four-month target set by Harris in 2017.
The committee was informed that delays in scoliosis surgery can lead to worsening spinal curvature, increased pain, and, in severe cases, irreversible complications, particularly for children with complex conditions like spina bifida.
The Scoliosis Advocacy Network criticised the lack of transparency in waiting list management, citing cases like Harvey’s where patients were removed without parental notification.
The committee also noted that while additional funding and surgical capacity had been allocated, staffing shortages and coordination issues within CHI continued to hinder progress.
From a political perspective the calls for Harris’s resignation must therefore be weighed against the realities of governing a complex healthcare system.
Harris’s 2017 promise, while ambitious, reflected a desire to address a clear public health failure.
However, the persistence of delays suggests deeper structural issues within the HSE and CHI, including resource allocation, staff retention, and administrative oversight.
While Harris’s defenders argue that he has shown commitment through increased investment and engagement, critics and political opponents point to a failure of leadership in translating promises into tangible outcomes. The removal of Harvey from the waiting list without parental consent is particularly indefensible, raising questions about accountability within CHI and its communication with families.
There is an argument then that while the demand for Harris’s resignation is emotionally resonant, it may also oversimplify the issue.
The government’s acknowledgment of the need for improvement, coupled with Donohoe’s claims of reduced waiting times, suggests some progress, but the tragedy of Harvey’s case underscores that these efforts have not been sufficient for all patients.
The Oireachtas Committee’s findings highlight the necessity for greater transparency, improved coordination, and sustained investment to prevent similar failures.
The death of Harvey Morrison Sherratt is a devastating reminder of the human cost of healthcare delays. The calls for Tánaiste Simon Harris’s resignation reflect legitimate frustration with unfulfilled promises and systemic shortcomings, yet they also risk politicising a complex issue.
While Harris’s defenders point to his efforts to address scoliosis care, the specific failures in Harvey’s case, particularly the unauthorised removal from the waiting list, demand accountability at both the political and institutional levels.
The Irish government must prioritise transparent communication with families, rigorous oversight of waiting list management, and sustained investment in paediatric care to ensure that no other child suffers as Harvey did.
The controversy has also reignited scrutiny of Ireland’s broader approach to managing waiting lists across the health service, not just in scoliosis care. Critics note that similar failures have been reported in cardiology, neurology, and oncology, where patients face extended delays for treatment with life-altering consequences. Advocacy groups argue that the recurring pattern of promises, partial improvements, and subsequent backsliding reflects a structural inability of the HSE to deliver timely care. This perception, amplified by high-profile tragedies like Harvey’s, is eroding public trust in both the health system and political leadership. Without a fundamental shift in governance, transparency, and accountability, the risk remains that further preventable deaths will follow, turning Harvey’s story into one more in a long series rather than the catalyst for meaningful reform.
For now, the political debate is merely ramping up between those who argue that the focus should remain on supporting Harvey’s family and driving meaningful reform while avoiding symbolic gestures that may not address the root causes of this crisis, and those who also correctly note that Ireland’s politics is rife with a deplorable lack of accountability at any level, even for grievous failures such as this case represents.