Courts

Cavan hospital apologises to family of woman who died after waiting six hours to be assessed by doctor

Mary Mulligan (73) fell while hill walking and sustained laceration to forehead, resulting in intracranial haemorrhage

Róisín McMahon settled an action against the HSE over the death of her mother. Photograph: Collins Courts
Róisín McMahon settled an action against the HSE over the death of her mother. Photograph: Collins Courts
Thu Dec 05 2024 - 18:03

A hospital has apologised to the family of an American woman who died after being brought to its emergency department after falling during a hill walk.

Cavan General Hospital admitted in the High Court that there were “shortcomings in the care” provided to Mary Mulligan, who was on holiday in Ireland at the time.

Sara Antoniotti, senior counsel for Ms Mulligan’s family, said her clients alleged the 73-year-old would not have died if there had not been a six-hour delay before she was medically assessed by a doctor.

Ms Antoniotti told the court that Ms Mulligan was on blood thinning medication and therefore should have had a scan within eight hours of her fall. Counsel said the scan should have been carried out before 11pm but did not take place until 2.30am.

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Ms Mulligan’s family settled a High Court action against the HSE on confidential terms on Thursday. The case was before the court for the division of a statutory mental distress payment of €35,000.

A letter from Cavan Monaghan Hospital general manager Su-Zann O’Callaghan read to the court stated: “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.”

Róisín McMahon, Ms Mulligan’s daughter, of Carrick, Virginia, Co Cavan, had sued the HSE over her mother’s death.

Ms Mulligan slipped and fell face forwards while climbing a hill on September 2nd, 2021, and 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 from 1am on September 3rd showed Ms Mulligan to be sweaty and unresponsive and a clinical deterioration was noted half an hour later.

A CT scan performed after 2.30am showed a massive intracranial haemorrhage. Ms Mulligan was then transferred to a Dublin hospital where operative care was not advised and she died at 1.15pm that day.

It was claimed in the proceedings that there was a failure to recognise or respond to Ms Mulligan’s head injury and a failure to ensure an adequate and timely assessment.

Approving the division of the solatium, Mr Justice Paul Coffey conveyed his deepest sympathy to Ms Mulligan’s family.