Hospital’s action against patient struck out at High Court

Hospital sought orders against ill patient who allegedly refused to leave facility

A hospital’s action against a patient with a serious medical condition who allegedly refused to leave its premises has been struck out at the High Court. File photograph: Alan Betson/The Irish Times
A hospital’s action against a patient with a serious medical condition who allegedly refused to leave its premises has been struck out at the High Court. File photograph: Alan Betson/The Irish Times

A hospital's action against a patient with a serious medical condition who allegedly refused to leave its premises has been struck out at the High Court.

It is understood the patient has come to an agreement with the hospital and is prepared to leave the facility.

The hospital last week initiated proceedings for orders, including an injunction, compelling the male patient, who had been undergoing treatment at the hospital over a number of weeks, to leave the facility and move to another medical facility.

The action was due to be mentioned before Mr Justice Paul Gilligan on Monday but was struck out on undisclosed terms.

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Mr Justice Gilligan last week granted the hospital permission to serve short notice of the injunction proceedings on the patient.

Hospital’s claims

Lawyers for the hospital told the court it was not a case of the hospital throwing the patient out on the street or that the patient had nowhere to go.

It had been arranged for the patient to be transferred to another hospital after several other options had not worked out, the court was told.

The patient, the hospital claimed, had made demands it could not agree to.

Everything the hospital had in its power to do for the man had been done, the hospital also claimed.

The man’s treatment at the hospital had been completed and there is a long list of people waiting for a bed at the facility, the court also heard.