The Health Service Executive (HSE) has apologised for failings in the care of a pensioner who died two days after being discharged from a Co Offaly hospital emergency department eight years ago.
The High Court heard on Thursday that grandmother Noreen McCormack had been feeling unwell and fell down the stairs at her Moate, Co Westmeath, home on January 2nd, 2017. When she was brought to the hospital emergency department she was treated for the fall, but she later died from pneumonia.
Patrick Treacy SC, appearing for Ms McCormack’s family and instructed by solicitor Niall Cunningham, told the court it was the family’s case that the pneumonia was the reason Ms McCormack had the fall, and this was not properly investigated.
Ms McCormack’s daughter had raised concerns in the emergency department of Midland Regional Hospital, Tullamore, that her mother had been unwell in the days before the fall, and she continued to have dizzy spells while waiting in hospital.
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An expert on their side would say the pneumonia should have been diagnosed and managed, and Ms McCormack should not have been treated as simply having had a fall. A postmortem later showed that the cause of death was severe pneumonia.
A letter of apology from the HSE and Midland Regional Hospital, Tullamore, to the family of Ms McCormack was read to the court.
The letter, from hospital general manager, Catriona McDonald, said: “On behalf of the Midland Regional Hospital, I wish to apologise for the distress suffered in respect of the death of your mother Noreen McCormack and offer our deepest condolences.”
It added: “Midland Regional Hospital would also like to convey sincere and deepest apologies to you and your family for the failings in relation to the care afforded to your mother on January 2nd, 2017.”
It concluded: “Since the date of your mother’s passing we have made significant improvements to the processes involved in monitoring and repeating monitoring of our patients in the emergency department. We will also take any additional learning from this to continue to improve on our care of patients in the emergency department.”
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Ms McCormack’s daughter, Laura Cuffe, of Moate, Co Westmeath, had sued the HSE over the death of her mother, Noreen McCormack, who died on January 4th, 2017.
Ms McCormick suffered a fall at home in the morning and she was found two hours later by her daughter.
They arrived at the hospital shortly before midday and Ms McCormick was assessed by triage nurse and categorised as urgent. It was claimed she was seen by a doctor shortly before 4:30pm, and her daughter raised concerns that in addition to her fall and visible soft tissue injuries, her mother had been feeling unwell for the previous two days.
It was claimed they also told how Ms McCormack had been suffering dizzy spells while waiting in hospital.
The pensioner was X-rayed and no fractures were found. It was claimed they were advised no further investigations were necessary and only stitches and a tetanus injection were required.
Two days later Ms McCormack was found in a collapsed state on her kitchen floor and attempts at resuscitation were unsuccessful.
