The Ombudsman, Emily O'Reilly, yesterday warned of the "urgent need" to transform the culture of care around death and dying in Irish hospitals. She told a gathering of nurses and midwives in Sligo that those who believe it was inexcusable for people to die without dignity would "move heaven and earth" to ensure that this did not happen.
Speaking at Sligo General Hospital's inaugural nursing/ midwifery conference, the Ombudsman praised the hospital for the way it had responded to a scathing report by her into the events surrounding the death of a man there in 2005.
She said a set of standards adopted by staff at the hospital since her report could be used as a blueprint by other health service providers planning to draw up protocols in this area.
Ms O'Reilly said medical personnel, nurses and directors of nursing throughout the State had told her stories of people dying in noisy hospital wards, of patients who had passed away while other patients were in beds beside them, and of relatives who had nowhere to go for a cup of tea at night.
Ms O'Reilly emphasised her appreciation of the way Sligo hospital had responded to her criticism. She said it was not just a testament to all involved but also exemplified the good which could result when the office of the Ombudsman and a public body, such as a hospital, worked together with one agenda, "to make life, and sometimes death, a much better experience for those that come seeking our help".
In her report last year into the death of a man at the hospital in January 2005, the Ombudsman had criticised several aspects of the way staff treated the patient and his family.
She found that there was a delay in admitting him, a failure to communicate the seriousness of his illness to his family and a serious lapse in standards in relation to his dignity.
She said the family had complained of apathy from staff after his death, saying no one had offered them condolences.
Their father's belongings, which they were asked to take home, had been left for collection in black sacks under a Christmas tree and were found later to contain a box of disposable gloves.
Ms O'Reilly said most complainants who crossed her path did so to ensure that service providers learned from their mistakes and that nobody else would go through what they had suffered. The majority just wanted an acknowledgment that they had been unfairly treated and wanted the more powerful body to own up and say sorry, she said.
Stressing the difficulty resolving complaints when there was a conflict of evidence, she said good record-keeping was vital.
Acknowledging the efforts to improve standards at Sligo General Hospital in the areas of death, dying and bereavement, she added that this had been done in conjunction with the Irish Hospice Foundation.
