This article is from page 19 of the 2008-09-16 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 19 JPG
THE HSE have remained steadfast that an independent investigation is not necessary into the case of a woman who was diagnosed with ter- minal cancer, just days after she was discharged from Ennis General Hos- pital for the second time her cancer having gone undiagnosed.
Ann Moriarty, who died in April, was misdiagnosed at least twice at the county Clare hospital and was not informed of blood test results that indicated tumours in her system.
Within two months the mother of
one had two chests x-rays at the hos- pital, both of which were declared to be free from cancer.
Last week the HSE issued a state- ment stating that it had “carefully considered the issue of a retrospec- tive review of the wider radiology service in light of the concerns that have been raised in this case.
‘Based on the review process and the wide range of expert opinion, in- cluding the Faculty of Radiology, the HSE has concluded that a retrospec- tive review is not warranted in this instance.”
Management at Ennis General Hos-
pital and the HSE confirmed that the hospital carried out a review of the care provided to Ms Moriarty at the hospital during the period April to August 2007.
‘When the issues were first brought to the attention of the Hospital Man- ager, he commissioned a review of the patient’s care at the hospital. A preliminary review was completed in December 2007 and following this a full Systems Analysis Review was conducted.
“These reviews made recommen- dations concerning patient care and organisational issues. All of the rec-
ommendations have now been im- plemented with the exception of the provision of a dedicated local CT scanning service.
“Accommodation for CT scanning facility 1s currently under construc- tion on the site of the Hospital and is due to be completed by the end of PAU eree
“The implementation of the rec- ommendations will be audited on a regular basis,’ said a spokesperson for the HSE.
“The HSE has apologised to the husband and family of this patient for the distress caused to them. Hospital
management and the HSE’s Head of Consumer Affairs have met with the family on a number of occasions and support services have been offered to the family,” a spokesperson for the HSE said.
“The hospital and the HSE are committed to providing the family with all of the information relating to this review and to maintaining com- munication with them.
“A further invitation to meet with the clinical and management team has been offered and the hospital and the HSE once again wish to apolo- gise to Mr Henry and his family.”