A 19-year-old woman whose hearing loss was not diagnosed until she was 10-years-old has settled a High Court action against the HSE for €900,000.
Caitlin Murray, who suffers from disabilities including global developmental delay and poor eyesight it was claimed before the High Court was left unsupported and struggling to hear for most of her junior school years.
To hear, she needed the person to face her and speak loudly.
Her Counsel, Aidan Doyle SC with Doireann O’Mahony BL instructed by solicitor Kieran Higgins of McCullagh Higgins & Co, told the court that the child’s hearing loss was “missed repeatedly” for eight years until she was ten years of age.
Counsel said Caitlin’s parents became suspicious she had hearing problems when she was two years of age.
He said over several years the child was brought on six or seven occasions to audiological services attached to University Hospital Waterford, but her hearing loss was not diagnosed until 2015.
Counsel said that when Caitlin was diagnosed and got hearing aids when she was ten years old there was a “remarkable transformation” in her.
Caitlin Murray, Dungarvan, Co Waterford, had through her father Aidan Murray, sued the HSE, the operator of the Waterford Community Audiology Centre at The Hearing Centre at University Hospital, Waterford, over the delay in diagnosing her hearing loss.
In the proceedings it was claimed there were missed opportunities to identify the child’s hearing loss at assessment in 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2011.
It was further claimed there was a failure to identify hearing loss and refer her onwards arising from legitimate concerns about hearing loss.
It was also contended that false reassurances had been given to the parents about the little girl’s hearing loss and there had seen a significant delay in the diagnosis and management of the child’s hearing loss which was only identified when she was ten years of age.
A breach of duty was admitted in the case but causation remained an issue.
Approving the settlement, Mr Justice Paul Coffey said it was a very unfortunate case where something that should have been recognised earlier was not for eight years.
He said the settlement was fair and reasonable.
