Consultant paediatric orthopaedic surgeon Dr Connor Green has resigned from Children’s Health Ireland (CHI), ending his employment at Temple Street Children's Hospital following three years of intense scrutiny and state reviews into paediatric spinal surgeries.

Dr Green had been at the centre of public concern since 2023, when patient safety issues were formally flagged regarding complex spinal procedures conducted at the Dublin hospital. Key concerns raised during subsequent reviews involved high post-operative infection rates, surgical complications, and the implantation of unauthorized, non-CE-marked metal springs in young scoliosis patients between 2020 and 2022.

Dr Green stepped back from performing surgeries in 2023 and was referred to the Irish Medical Council while internal and external reviews were undertaken. A landmark report published by the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) in April 2025 concluded that using non-certified springs as surgical implants was wrong and highlighted widespread clinical oversight and corporate governance failures within CHI. The fallout from the statutory report had previously led to the resignation of CHI board chair Dr Jim Browne.

In response to the investigations, professional bodies such as the Irish Hospital Consultants Association noted that the clinician had been operating under severe system-wide pressures while attempting to treat children with complex, life-limiting conditions. Meanwhile, patient advocacy groups including Orthokids Ireland continuously highlighted the severe impact of delayed surgeries and called for broader governance reforms across Ireland's paediatric orthopaedic services.