IN A report on the death of Ms Beatrice Hartnett in yesterday's editions, Dr Brian Farrell the Dublin City Coroner, was quoted indirectly as saying that there was an unfortunate problem in communications between the family of the deceased and some doctors and nurses in St Vincent's Hospital Dublin, and that he hoped that proper cognisance would be taken at the hospital of the family's concerns,
We have been asked to point out that Dr Farrell in fact said that there was no doubt that the medical and nursing staff did speak to the family before and after the operation and after the death made themselves available to explain at length what had happened, but that one could readily understand how there can be differences in perception and expectation between relatives and medical staff in a case of an unexpected death.
The expectations of the family must be tempered by the knowledge that in hospital practice a given doctor may not, with the best will in the world, always be readily available. Dr Farrell said he hoped that the parties would bear in mind their relative positions and he was sure that the hospital authorities would take cognisance of what the family had to say on the matter.