Dan Boyle (Green Party)

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Mary Wallace, and thank her for taking this matter. I raise a set of circumstances to which I appreciate she will not be able to respond but which I hope she will pass on to the Department for further consideration.

I raise this matter as a result of the unfortunate death of a young woman in 2005 in Cork University Hospital. Her name was Catherine McCarthy, she was 42 years old and the mother of two young children. She presented at the hospital with an engorged stomach and was admitted to accident and emergency. As she had previously dealt with the hospital, she was referred to a consultant who was not on call at the time and as a result, she was not seen until the following day. Within a very short time — a day and a half — she was to lose her life due to a failure to properly diagnose her condition.

Her husband is a paramedic working at Cork University Hospital. Since her death, he has found it very difficult to get answers or to receive a satisfactory explanation of events as they unfolded. The first port of call would have been the hospital's risk assessment unit. Risk assessment units are common in all hospitals and in the HSE. When an unexplained death occurs, we should ensure an independent body is involved in the investigation. The investigation was carried out by the hospital. Legal action was taken and there was a settlement following a High Court case.

Mr. McCarthy subsequently went back to the HSE, southern region, and some assistance was offered by the head of hospital services. The circumstances of the case were reviewed by a national HSE officer responsible for risk assessment. However, it was a review of the procedures of Cork University Hospital in investigating the circumstances. Neither the initial investigation nor the subsequent review by the individual working for the HSE has provided sufficient information or an explanation for Mr. McCarthy in regard to what happened. What happens in the event of a negligent death, which has since been admitted by the HSE?

Exploring one final avenue, Mr. McCarthy wrote to the newly established Health Information and Quality Authority. He received a response stating that HIQA did not deal with complaints of this type referred in this way. If not, why does it not do so? I would have thought the establishment of HIQA was to inspire public confidence so that when incidents of this type occur, cases would be responded to quickly, diligently and thoroughly. All of the existing processes have been used and none have been adequate. The final process does not seem to address the concerns at the heart of this case.

There are severe inadequacies in the processes used to account for negligent deaths and through which those affected by such events can seek adequate redress, in terms of information, and draw a line under events of this type. I do not expect the Minister of State to respond to the set of circumstances I have explained but perhaps she can outline whether there is confidence in existing procedures. I would not share that confidence, if it exists. I hope the set of circumstances I have outlined will be relayed to the Department so that a more detailed response can be given.