Cavan Hospital

We have just found out the details about a little girl who died due to complications after an appendicitis operation.
Her GP sent her to A&E with a note telling those concerned that was wrong.
That note was never passed on.
The consultants in surgery and A&E didn't get on so the Junior doctor in A&E didn't get the expert opinion he needed and a child died.
I expect Pat Rabbit etc to stand up in the Dail and cynically use this tragedy to attack the Government.
They are not to blame here.
That the doctor who caused the breakdown in the correct procedure should never practice medicine again is without question. The question is how long he should spend in prison.

The reality is that no one will ever be held accountable for this.
That's the crime here.

Yes and no. Yes - the individual doctor in question bears responsibility, but there are systemic, process & personality issues involved too.

[Note:examples below are not specifically relating to this Cavan case]
- If a junior doctor was coming to the end of a 48 hour shift at the end of 96 hour week, it is really surprising that basic errors will occur.
- If a consultant implements a culture of fear along the lines of 'If I get called out from home, there had better be a damn good reason', does the consultant bear some responsibility too?

You need to fix the root cause, not find a scapegoat for a public hanging.

Re. Yes and no

Rainyday;

If a junior doctor was coming to the end of a 48 hour shift at the end of 96 hour week, it is really surprising that basic errors will occur.

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While this is a valid point in general in this case it is not relevant.

If a consultant implements a culture of fear along the lines of 'If I get called out from home, there had better be a damn good reason', does the consultant bear some responsibility too

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It's the consultant I was referring to. Sorry for not making that clear. He or She is getting paid vast sums of money to be in charge and make sure the team under them runs properly. And yes, that seems to be the attitude of most consultants. I know of a stroke victim who had very serious complications 'cause the registrar would not get out of bed to see her when requested to do so by his intern. The consultant on call had forgotten his mobile and only arrived in that evening. He then changed the notes with his registrar to show that the woman had been seen when she should have.
I could go into details but I don't want to get sued and/or ruin the career of the person who told me the story.

My point is that the interest groups in the health care industry (and it is an industry, not a vocation or service) be they nurses, NCHO's or consultants, run it in their own interest, not in the interest of the patient.
The patient, in the case of Cavan a little girl, and the patient's families, comes a distant last on the list of who is important in the health industry.