Medical Council and hospital group initiate separate probes into death of Shane Banks

Ciara Banks holds a picture of her late husband Shane, with Banks family members Allen, Margaret, Mickey, and Ray, at the medical inquest last year into his death in Galway University Hospital in 2019.

The Irish Medical Council and Saolta Hospital Group have both launched investigations into the death of a father of three after surgery to remove cancer on his lung.

The probes follow a High Court case and inquest into Shane Banks' death. The lecturer in business at Sligo Institute of Technology died following the performance of a second operation for treatable lung cancer on June 21, 2019. He died three days later.

During the course of the second surgery, major complications had arisen. There was significant blood loss and Mr Banks had to be put on bypass. His condition deteriorated and he died.

Ciara McDermott, Mr Banks' widow, said: “It gets more difficult to think about that every day. How many red lights have to be flashing? The last light to flash was Shane’s heart stopping, and that’s when they started to get concerned but it was too late.” 

“We have to be doing this for something, there has to be legacy. He can’t have died in vain”.

University Hospital Galway and Saolta last month apologised to Ciara and Shane Banks’ families in the High Court. This followed an inquest finding of medical misadventure around the June 2019 tragedy.

The legal processes revealed “shock upon shock”, Ciara said. She insisted reform based on Coroner Ciaran MacLoughlin’s recommendations remains important. This should include transparency around doctors being under supervision, she argued, calling for ‘Shane’s Law” to make this mandatory.

The family was distressed to learn that cardiothoracic surgeon, Professor Mark da Costa, had been under supervision for his cardiac work although not for his thoracic work. Ms McDermott accepts reform could be a “gradual, slow process”. 

She says her other concerns are in relation to "culture, communication within the organisation, within the hospital, within theatre". "There is a hierarchy and that is causing problems," she said.

Shane’s brother Ray recalls a meeting in 2019. He said: “At that point in the hospital, I naively thought this was ‘open disclosure’ and they were telling us everything. I thought this is terrible but we are going to find out but now at the end of the whole process, you feel completely different about this.” 

Family solicitor Roger Murray of Callan Tansey Solicitors said: “Shane’s was not an isolated incident, and this potentially could be repeated in other hospitals around the country.” 

Ciara McDermott, Shane Banks' widow, said: “It gets more difficult to think about that every day. How many red lights have to be flashing? The last light to flash was Shane’s heart stopping, and that’s when they started to get concerned but it was too late.” Picture: Collins Courts

Irish Patients’ Association co-founder Stephen McMahon said: “The inquest has been commendable in that it identified serious issues on Shane Banks’ tragic journey through the healthcare system. “There are immediate lessons that can be drawn from his tragic death. There may be wider implications for review and reform of the system.” 

A Saolta spokeswoman, referring to Prof. da Costa, said: “This surgeon is no longer operating in the Saolta Group. There are both HR and Medical Council Investigations underway and we cannot comment any further on this matter.”  The Irish Medical Council do not comment on individual complaints, it said.

The public register of doctors states: “This doctor has provided an undertaking to the Medical Council not to engage in the practice of medicine at this time.” 

The HSE has now appointed a national lead for cardiothoracic surgery. “The plan is that all cardiothoracic units will be part of a national networked system, with agreed referral pathways for adult cardiac surgery and thoracic surgery, particularly for complex and high-risk cases,” a spokeswoman said.

Inquest recommendations are considered "part of ongoing service improvement work," she said. The HSE offers “a range of activities and supports that assist our clinical staff to continue to develop their skills including hospital-based education and training activities". 

Detailed pathways for complaints and internal review of incidents resulting in harm to patients including the Incident Management Framework are in place.