‘She can’t have died in vain’: Family to receive HSE apology over care of Maxine Maguire

Maxine Maguire, from Newbridge, Co Kildare, died by suicide in February 2017.

The mother of a woman who died by suicide nine years ago says it is important that her death is not in vain, ahead of an apology from the Health Service Executive (HSE) on Wednesday.

Maxine Maguire, from Newbridge, Co Kildare, died by suicide in February 2017.

The 25-year-old’s family will receive an apology from the HSE for deficits in her care prior to her final hospitalisation in December 2016.

A spokesperson for the HSE confirmed to the Irish Examiner that the apology will be read in the High Court on Wednesday.

Her mother, Kathleen, said the last nine years since her daughter’s death have been difficult.

She says: “It has been a long hard road.” She added: “Her life mattered but her death has to matter as well. She can’t have died in vain.”

‘A lovely, bubbly, gorgeous girl’

Referencing the case in the Seanad recently, Maxine’s primary school teacher, Senator Fiona O’Loughlin, described her as “a lovely, bubbly, gorgeous girl who was much loved by family and friends. Maxine was a much-loved daughter, sister, granddaughter and friend.”

Senator O’Loughlin said Maxine had experienced mental health difficulties for “some time”.

She continued: “When it became too much on 2 December 2016, she bravely reached out for help and support. She was scared and vulnerable when, together with family members, she arrived at a hospital where she had previously spent some time with the same illness, namely, with depression and suicidal tendencies. It was at this point that Maxine, having plucked up every ounce of courage within her to get that far, was turned away by the hospital she had considered a safe place and by the experts in whom she had placed her trust.”

Commending the introduction of the Mental Health Act, Senator O’Loughlin said she would evaluate the new legislation against recommendations made at Maxine’s inquest in April 2019.

Inquest recommendations

Among the recommendations were:

• That a psychiatric consultant should have a face-to-face review with a patient before a decision on discharge is made.
• That all medical files should be held on a computer system accessible to all relevant professionals to provide for multi-hospital care scenarios.
• That standard operating procedures should be introduced to make it easier for patients to re-enter mental health services after an extended period following discharge.

Maxine’s mother hopes Wednesday’s apology will act as a catalyst for ensuring the recommendations have been implemented.

Members of the Maguire family have previously protested outside Leinster House over what they described as inadequacies in the mental health system.