'Listen to parents': Kerry mother sues after hospitals fail to diagnose son's cleft palate for 14 months

Caroline Buckley, a nurse, said: 'I would encourage those involved in health care to listen to parents who know their own child better than anybody else.'

Ronan Buckley was one of twins born on August 29, 2017, at The Coombe Hospital. Records at The Coombe indicated that the palate was intact on initial examination. File picture

A mother has pleaded with health professionals to listen to parents after she says her pleas in relation to her baby were ignored and his cleft palate remained undiagnosed or treated for 14 months.

She spoke out as her son, Ronan Buckley from Kerry who is now seven years old, settled for €175,000 his action against the HSE and two Dublin hospitals over his care after his birth.

The family’s counsel, Oonah McCrann SC instructed by Cantillons Solicitors, told the High Court that the mother’s concerns about her baby were ignored and at one stage it was suggested that the baby’s feeding issues were because she was not feeding him properly.

After Baby Ronan was brought back home to Kerry when he was four weeks old, he continued to have bottle feeding issues. Counsel said his parents “beat a path to the door” of health and paediatric services in Kerry but “inexplicably nothing was picked up”. 

He was finally referred for a swallow procedure in October 2018 and the cleft palate was diagnosed in January 2019 before urgent repair surgery was carried out in March of that year.

Ronan’s mother Caroline Buckley, a nurse, told Mr Justice Paul Coffey she and her husband felt they were letting their baby down "and it was our fault" as their pleas were ignored when Baby Ronan was not feeding well and not thriving.

“I would encourage those involved in health care to listen to parents who know their own child better than anybody else. We felt we were letting Ronan down and it was our fault. The settlement means we can move on now that our position is vindicated,” she said.

Ms McCrann told the court Ronan’s mother had been transferred from Kerry to Dublin and Ronan was one of twins born on August 29, 2017, at The Coombe Hospital. Records at The Coombe indicated that the palate was intact on initial examination. 

The baby was then transferred to Temple Street Hospital for management of a defect of the abdominal wall. It was claimed the baby had feeding issues and struggled to put on weight.

Counsel said Baby Ronan had significant issues with feeding but the mother’s concerns “were ignored”. “It was suggested it was because she was not feeding him properly which caused a lot of distress,” counsel said.

She told the court a breach of duty for a delay until October 2018 in diagnosing the baby's cleft palate was admitted but causation remained an issue in the case.

Ronan Buckley, aged 7, from Killorglin, Co Kerry, had through his mother Caroline Buckley sued the HSE along with The Coombe Women and Infants University Hospital and Children’s Health Ireland at Temple Street, both in Dublin over the care he received.

Buckley family's claims

Against all defendants it was claimed there was a failure to make a diagnosis of cleft palate in a timely manner.

It was further claimed there was a failure to recognise that the baby had symptoms associated with a cleft palate and a failure to conduct a visual inspection accurately or at all.

There was also it was claimed a failure to take into account and act appropriately upon the parents concern regarding his condition and in particular his weak suck, post vomit feed and failure to thrive.

Approving the settlement, Mr Justice Paul Coffey said he was delighted that the matter had been resolved and Ronan’s parents had been vindicated. He wished the family the very best for the future.