A hospital has apologised to the family of an elderly lady who died while on holiday here from the US after she was brought to the Accident and Emergency Department for treatment following a hill walking fall.
Cavan General Hospital, in a letter read to the High Court, apologised for “the shortcomings in the care” of mother of four Mary Mulligan who it was claimed was not seen for six hours by an Emergency Department doctor.
Her family’s counsel Sara Antoniotti SC instructed by Augustus Cullen and Law told the High Court there was a “six hours lengthy delay” before the 73-year old’s medical assessment by a doctor.
Counsel said it was their case that if this had not occurred the pensioner would not have died.
Counsel also told the court that Ms Mulligan was on blood thinning medication and, as a result, should have had a CT scan within 8 hours of her fall at 2.30pm.
Counsel said the scan should have been carried out before 11pm but was not done until 2.30am.
Prior to her death, Ms Mulligan who had seven grandchildren had been living in Texas with some family members and the rest of her family was in Ireland.
An apology was read to the court as her family settled a High Court action against the HSE. The case was before the court for the division of the statutory €35,000 mental distress payment only.
A letter from Cavan and Monaghan Hospital general manager Su-Zann O’Callaghan was read to the court which said: "On behalf of Cavan General Hospital I wish to sincerely apologise for the shortcomings in the care your mother received at the hospital which we acknowledge fell below the expected standard of care.”
It added: “I acknowledge and apologise unreservedly to you and your family for the ongoing distress and suffering this has caused. We wish to reassure you and your family that the hospital strives at all times to optimise patient care and we will continue to ensure that best practice is at the forefront of our clinical service to all patients.”
Ms Mulligan’s daughter Roisin McMahon, Carrick, Virginia, Co Cavan had sued the HSE over the death of her mother.
Mrs Mulligan had slipped and fallen face forwards while climbing a hill on September 2nd, 2021 at 2.40pm and had sustained a laceration to her forehead. She was brought to the hospital where a triage assessment was carried out at 5.27pm.
A nursing note recorded that Ms Mulligan was seen by an Emergency Department doctor at 11.20pm
A nursing note at 1am on September 3rd showed Ms Mulligan to be sweaty and unresponsive and a clinical deterioration was noted a half an hour later.
A CT scan performed after 2.30am and it showed a massive intracranial haemorrhage. Ms Mulligan was transferred to a Dublin hospital where operative care was not advised and she died at 1.15pm on September 3rd.
In the proceedings, it was claimed there was a failure to recognise or understand heed or respond to the woman’s head injury and a failure to ensure an adequate and timely assessment of Ms Mulligan on her presentation with a head injury.
An unreasonable delay, it was claimed, occurred in the performance of the CT scan and an intracranial haemorrhage developed during her time in the Accident and Emergency Department and there was a delay in the administration of correct and timely intervention until such time when her neurological status was irreversible.
Approving the division of the solatium, Mr Justice Paul Coffey conveyed his deepest sympathy to Ms Mulligan’s family.
