Daughter says father 'died with no dignity' after hospital fall
The daughter of a man who may have been dead for over an hour at University Hospital Limerick (UHL), before being found on the floor, says she will never get over him dying "with no dignity".
An inquest into the death of Martin Abbott, aged 65, from Shannon, Clare, heard he died after falling from a trolley in the hospital's emergency department in 2019. A verdict of medical misadventure was recorded at an inquest into his death this week.
Speaking on RTÉ's Drivetime, his daughter Anne Marie Abbott said: "For him to have to die with no dignity is something that I don't know if I'll ever get over."
Ms Abbott had raised concern over her father's condition on the evening he died. His breathing was laboured and she was worried.
At 6am, the family were awoken by gardaí at the door, who said UHL were trying to make contact. When they went to the hospital, they were told Mr Abbott had "a turn".
"The nurse in charge and the registrar on call told us he was dead, that he was found in a collapsed state by the sink and they suspected it was a heart attack. That was all the information that they gave us," she said.
I couldn't believe what I was hearing.
Ms Abbott was also critical of the communication process after his death, noting she heard about the investigation into her father's death through local media. UHL apologised for this.
The inquest, which took place on Wednesday, heard from UHL, which said it was taking steps to resolve issues. It also heard further apologies to the Abbott family.
In a separate statement, UL Hospitals Group said it wishes to express its sincere sympathy to the family on their loss, adding that in this case, standards in relation to patient safety fell short of what was expected.
"We strive to uphold the highest standards of patient care and safety, and it's clear in this case, these standards fell short of what was expected," it said.
It added: "We apologise for the deficiencies and shortcomings in Mr Abbott’s care and for the distress and trauma this has caused his family."
Speaking on RTÉ radio, Ms Abbott described her father as "a very strong man, an absolute gentleman in every sense of the word".
Her father would always stand up for himself and others, Ms Abbott said, and that she was now standing up for him.
