THE HSE has apologised at the High Court for failings in the treatment and care of a nine-year-old girl who died within two days of being discharged from Cavan General Hospital.
Frances Sheridan died in an ambulance while en route to Cavan General Hospital on the morning of Sunday, February 1st, 2004.
On Friday, January 30th, 2004, less than 48 hours previously, she had been brought by her mother to the hospital’s A&E unit with severe abdominal pains having had her appendix out on January 7th, some three weeks earlier.
Eoin McGonigal SC, for the Sheridan family, told Mr Justice John Quirke yesterday the child was very distressed on January 30th and was examined by doctors and X-rayed at the hospital.
She was discharged that evening although still ill and she returned home, counsel said. Her condition deteriorated greatly during the early hours of February 1st and an ambulance was called but she was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital.
Brian and Rosemary Sheridan, New Line, Cootehill, Co Cavan, had, on behalf of their family, sued the then North Eastern Health Board, now the HSE, alleging wrongful death, negligence and breach of duty of care towards Frances. The family also sued for mental distress and nervous shock suffered as a result of the child’s death.
Yesterday, Mr Justice Quirke was told the family’s actions had been settled. The full details of the settlement were not revealed.
In an apology read to the court, the HSE said it wished to “apologise sincerely to Brian and Rosemary Sheridan and all members of the Sheridan family for the various failings in the treatment and care afforded to Frances by Cavan General Hospital on January 30th, 2004, which resulted in her untimely and tragic death”.
The HSE and Cavan General Hospital also offered their deepest condolences and regret to the Sheridans for their loss and for the grief and distress suffered by the family and community.
Mr McGonigal said Frances’s death was “very painful and tragic” for her family and the media attention surrounding it added to their distress.
He said the family had further suffered because they were unhappy with the initial inquest, which deemed the child’s death was due to natural causes. That verdict was wrong and the Attorney General ordered a second inquest, which deemed her death was due to medical misadventure.
State Pathologist Dr Marie Cassidy had given evidence to the inquest that Frances died from complications arising from the operation on her appendix. Further surgery could have remedied the situation, counsel said.
Mr Justice Quirke expressed his sympathy to the Sheridan family for their loss.