INQUIRY STARTS
IN BRISTOL
The Public Inquiry into the management
and care of children receiving complex heart surgery at the Bristol Royal
Infirmary begins this month in Bristol.
The oral hearings will be held on the fifth floor of offices at 2-10
Temple Way in Bristol and will begin on Tuesday 16th March 1999 at 11.00
a.m.
These oral hearings, which are phase one of the Inquiry and focus on
services in Bristol, will last until the end of 1999.
The Inquiry will be opened by parents giving accounts of their experiences
- from their child's original referral through to post-surgery. Families
will be called throughout the Inquiry to contribute to subsequent blocks
of evidence.
Currently there is seating for just under 200 people, which includes
the overflow area. There are 20 allocated press seats in the main hearing
chamber and seating for a further 20 journalists in the dedicated press
room.
The Inquiry will normally sit from Monday to Thursday
during this first phase. Mondays will run from 10.30 a.m. - 4.30 p.m.,
the other days will run from 9.30 a.m. to 2.15 p.m.
INQUIRY HEARINGS REACH A WIDER AUDIENCE
From April the Bristol Royal Infirmary Inquiry will be more accessible
to the public thanks to 'state of the art' remote video links being connected
to sites in the community.
The video links will transmit live pictures direct from the Inquiry to
Community Health Council (CHC) offices in Cardiff, Barnstaple and Truro.
They have been installed to enable anyone with an interest to follow the
Inquiry oral hearings without the need to travel to Bristol each day.
Inquiry Chairman, Professor Ian Kennedy said: "This is a Public
Inquiry and members of the public are welcome to attend the hearings each
day. However, it is important to provide access at places some distance
away from Bristol.
"The Inquiry spans a very large geographical area from Cornwall
to South Wales and encompasses so many
individuals that we felt it was appropriate to provide some locations
distant from Bristol with live links to the Inquiry chamber in Bristol.
This audience will be able to follow the day-to-day discussions of the
Inquiry from sites closer to their own homes."
Although not in place for the first three weeks, this is the first time
remote video links have been used in connection with a Public Inquiry
and it is anticipated that the system will be fully operational by April.
This technical innovation is one of a series of measures to ensure the
Inquiry oral hearings are easily accessible to the public. Further remote
links may be introduced later in the year depending on the take-up at
the three pilot sites.
Video screens have also been installed within the Inquiry
Chamber itself and in the dedicated press room so that all those attending
are able to follow the proceedings. For those people unable to attend
either the Bristol office or one of the CHC sites, full transcripts of
the day's hearings will be printed on the Inquiry's website (http://www.bristol-inquiry.org.uk/)
each evening. Copies of the transcripts will also be available in the
Inquiry Chamber and will be sent to CHCs in South Wales and the South
West and to public libraries. A full list of public libraries receiving
information is available from Rachel Gibbons at the Inquiry Offices on
0117 938 8711.
Contacting
the Inquiry...
In April we will be setting up an Inquiry Information Line at our offices
in Bristol. An Inquiry Information Pack has also been put together and
will be available from Tuesday 16th March. It includes useful information,
which will help visitors to the Inquiry to make full use of the facilities
available.
If you want general information about the Inquiry please call either
Becky Jarvis, Media Relations Manager on 0117 938 8716 or Rachel Gibbons,
Communications Officer on 0117 938 8711.
There is also a contact number if you wish to speak to someone from the
legal team. Please call Lisa Biddlecombe on 0117 938 8737.
If you wish to contact the Secretary to the Inquiry please call 0117
938 8712.
The Inquiry fax numbers are:
0117 938 8789 Administration
0117 938 8790 Legal Offices
Internet website:
www.Bristol-Inquiry.org.uk/
E-mail: inquiry@doh.gov.uk
Telephone: 0845 3000 613
(calls charged at local rate)
Fax: 0171 972 4602
FREEPOST ADDRESS:
Bristol Royal Infirmary Inquiry
Freepost, Lon 15129, London, SE1 8BR
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