Injury Compensation News

Professor John Crown, a consultant oncologist, writing recently in The Irish Independent, said that the HSE and Department of Health and Children together “comprise one of the least ethical organisations that I have ever dealt with”. Professor Crown goes on to describe the HSE as “secretive, self-serving, dishonest, incompetent and unintelligent.”  He concludes, with an interesting historical comparison, that the “corruption and incompetence” of the HSE is effectively a form of Stalinism.
These comments are interesting from the point of view of anyone trying to make a medical negligence claim or hospital negligence claim related to one of the HSE’s services.  The management problems that increase the likelihood of negligence are compounded by the way the HSE deals with its own negligence.  It’s really no surprise that the Injuries Board Ireland refuses to deal with cases against the HSE.

A report today for the Irish Patients Association by the State Claims Agency shows that there are an average of 15,000 slips, trips, and falls in Irish hospitals, using data from the past 6 years.  The State Claims Agency data reveals that about 40% of hospital incidents are falls.

About  300 patients fall in Irish hospital showers each year, some of whom suffer fractured bones, although only about 1 percent of  patients sustained multiple injuries. Approximately one-quarter of patients who fell in showers suffered either bruising, lacerations or fractures.

Most accidents occur when patients are not under supervision and in at least one Irish hospital poor drainage leaves the shower facilities permanently flooded and therefore slippery. This certainly exposes Irish hospitals to medical negligence claims.