Staff-to-client ratios and life-saving equipment at a Wicklow day service centre have been upgraded after a service user died from choking on a sweet.
Denise Flahive (39), from Marantha, Shanganagh Road, Shankill, Co Dublin, was a client of the Sunbeam House service facility for people with intellectual disabilities in Bray, Co Wicklow on December 16th, 2015.
She had received the sweets as a Kris Kindle gift and was eating them while making Christmas cards when she got into difficulty. She died at St Vincent’s Hospital in Dublin two days later.
Dublin Coroner’s Court heard Ms Flahive got up from the table and went to the kitchen sink, where she succeeded in bringing up a sweet, but there was still a blockage in her airway.
Heimlich manoeuvre
A staff member followed her and attended to her by slapping her back. Another staff member arrived and administered repeated back slaps and the Heimlich manoeuvre, but the blockage remained.
Ms Flahive lost consciousness and ceased breathing. She was placed in the recovery position and an ambulance was called. She was rushed to the intensive care unit at St Vincent’s Hospital, but she was pronounced dead at 11.23pm on December 18th.
In her postmortem report, Dr Ruth Law gave the cause of death as lack of oxygen to the brain due to cardiac and respiratory arrest following inhalation of a foreign body.
The woman’s father, Peter Flahive, said his daughter had an intellectual disability, but aside from this her general health was good and she was rarely ill. He said she attended the day service at Herbert Road in Bray most days.
‘Productive and happy’
“She was very productive and happy. She was outgoing and loved art, particularly painting,” Mr Flahive said.
Managing director of Sunbeam House Services John Hannigan said a full independent investigation was conducted following the incident and in the report staff were commended for their high level of training.
However, the report found the service’s equipment needed updating and recommended that staff-client ratio levels be addressed.
Mr Hannigan said all of the report recommendations had since been implemented, including the provision of a defibrillator. He said staff receive training updates in emergency care every two years.
Coroner Dr Myra Cullinane returned a verdict of death by misadventure.