Nursing home resident died after burning incident
Seán Twomey, from Prospect Lawn, Drimoleague, West Cork, died on Christmas Day, less than three weeks after an incident in which he is understood to have suffered burns while smoking a cigarette.
The father-of-four, a stroke victim, was a patient at Fairfield Nursing Home, Quarry Road, Drimoleague.
He was transferred to Cork University Hospital (CUH) for treatment following the incident which occurred on December 7.
The nursing home watchdog, the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA), has confirmed it has been notified about Mr Twomey’s death. A spokesperson for the regulator said notification had taken place “within the legal timeframe of three days”.
She said they were “following up” on the notification. Nursing homes are obliged to notify HIQA when certain events occur including the death of a resident under 70, or if a patient suffers serious injury.
A Garda spokesperson said they were “aware of the situation” and were “making inquiries” and taking statements in preparation for an inquest, which is standard practice for sudden deaths.
A staff member at the nursing home said they had been asked by Mr Twomey’s family not to make a statement. However, she denied any negligence on the part of the nursing home.