HSE and Limerick hospital apologise to Clare woman for her baby's stillbirth 16 years ago
Rebecca Collins (left) with her partner Tom and children, Annie, Molly, Alice and Nacy outside the High Court after the settlement over the birth of their daughter Hannah. Picture: Collins Courts
The HSE and University Maternity Hospital Limerick has apologised in the High Court to a woman who gave birth to a stillborn baby in the hospital 16 years ago.
The apology was read in the High Court as the mother of Baby Hannah Collins from Co. Clare, who was delivered stillborn at the Limerick Hospital a few days after Christmas 2007, settled an action against the HSE.
Outside court in a statement read by their solicitor, the Collins family from Carrigaholt, Co. Clare, said Hannah will always be in their hearts and thoughts.
“Undoubtedly Christmas is particularly difficult as it brings another anniversary of her passing; there's always somebody missing.
"Hannah's death has left a wound that will never heal; a life that has gone forever; laughter that will never be heard; a sister that was never known and a daughter that will be forever loved and missed,” the statement delivered by the family solicitor Rachel O’Shaughnessy said.
The Collins family counsel, Liam Reidy SC instructed by HOMS Assist solicitors, told the High Court the case had been settled and could be struck out. He said Hannah’s parents Rebecca and Tom Collins were in court with their four young daughters.
In the letter of apology, the maternity hospital and the HSE said it would like “to sincerely apologise” to Hannah's mother, Rebecca Collins and her family “for the events that occurred on December 28, 2007, related to the still birth of your baby girl , Hannah.”
It added: “The Maternity Hospital and the HSE acknowledges that the outcome on December 28, 2007, was devastating for your family and has had a profound and lasting effect on you.”
The letter which was signed by Noreen Spillane, the Chief Operations Officer of the UL Hospitals Group continued: “The willingness of your family to share your experience was invaluable in allowing the hospital to learn from your experience and in helping to make recommendation to improve the systems and processes in place at the hospital related to the delivery of maternity services.”
It concluded by saying that the hospital and the HSE “are committed to ensuring that the recommendations identified by the hospital investigation report are implemented as a matter of urgency.”
Rebecca Collins (40) from Killeanaugh, Carrigaholt, Co. Clare, had sued the HSE over her care at the University Maternity Hospital, Limerick in 2007. Liability was admitted in the case.
An internal inquiry was later held at the maternity hospital into the stillbirth which centred on the CTG tracing which monitors the baby’s heartbeat before delivery.
In the proceedings, it was claimed that following the internal inquiry into the stillbirth it was discovered that there was a failure to identify and appropriately manage a non-reassuring CTG trace that was carried out on December 27, 2007, in the ante natal ward.
It was also claimed Ms Collins was not made aware of this failure on the part of the hospital to properly identify and appropriately manage a non-reassuring CTG trace on her unborn baby until May 2017 when she was finally notified. When baby Hannah was delivered stillborn on December 28, 2007, it was noted she had a tight knot in the umbilical cord.
Outside the Four Courts, the Collins family solicitor Rachel O’Shaughnessy read a statement on behalf of Rebecca Collins.
“Rebecca and Tom were left utterly heartbroken and would live for the next 15 years with unanswered questions. Why and how did it happen? Could it have been prevented? Could their daughter have been saved?”, the statement said.
Ms Collins, it said, had seen a PrimeTime programme in January 2015 which referred to CTG monitoring which prompted her to contact the hospital.
“The trauma came flooding back. Rebecca contacted the hospital and sought an inquiry into what really happened to her daughter Hannah.” A full systems analysis review, it said, took two years to complete.
“In May 2017, Rebecca finally discovered that the CTG monitoring had shown signs of distress the day before Hannah died,” the statement said. She said while the inquiry answered many questions, the investigation into Hannah’s case only took place after Ms Collins fought for answers from the HSE.
"The failure to identify that the CTG had been misinterpreted and that Hannah's death should have been avoided meant that there was also failure in the hospital's duty of candour to Rebecca.
"Had an appropriate investigation into the care occurred at the time, any recommendations arising out of the internal inquiry could have been implemented 10 years earlier,” the statement said.
The Collins family, it said, hope by raising awareness it will encourage others “to ask and keep asking the difficult questions until they are answered. This is yet another tragic case which brings home the very real need for the urgent enactment of the Patient Safety Bill which would make open disclosure for patient safety incidents mandatory as soon as reasonably practicable.
"Rebecca and Tom Collins deeply hope that it will be passed into law as quickly as possible. They hope that in some way their daughter's death was not in vain and they truly hope no other family will have to suffer as they have.”
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