'Mental health the Cinderella of our health system for far too long - it must now become a priority'
Kathy Maguire from Newbridge holds a photo of her daughter Maxine Maguire after settling a High Court action over her death. Picture: Collins Courts
“Mental health has been the Cinderella of our health system for far too long — it must now become a priority.”
Those were the words of a grieving mother on Wednesday as she settled a High Court action over the death of her daughter by suicide.
Kathleen Maguire’s daughter, Maxine, a master’s degree student, was just 25 when she died in February 2017.
Her family, from Newbridge, Co Kildare, were in the Four Courts on Wednesday as the HSE, in a letter read to the court, “apologised unreservedly and sincerely for the deficits in the care” provided to her.
Maxine’s parents Robert and Kathleen Maguire had sued the HSE, Naas General Hospital, and St Vincent’s University Hospital, Dublin.
The letter was read out as they settled a High Court action over her death.
The letter stated: “We apologise unreservedly and sincerely for the deficits in the care provided to Maxine which culminated in her subsequent untimely and tragic death and for the continuing profound sadness and suffering this has caused you and her family.”
The letter, from the head of service for mental health in Dublin South, Kildare, and West Wicklow Community Healthcare on behalf of the HSE, also offered heartfelt condolences to Maxine’s family on their devastating loss.
Outside court, Kathleen called on the mental health minister to implement key recommendations made at the inquest and the HSE’s own review into her daughter’s death.
“They have the potential to save precious lives. Maxine’s life mattered and her death must matter too. Even now she can still help others through the changes we hope to see,” said Ms Maguire.
Calling for mental health to be made a priority, she said: “A piece of me died with Maxine and we must somehow now try to piece our lives back together.
“This has not been an easy journey and it has take a huge toll on our entire family,’ she said.
Maxine was a beautiful young woman who loved her family dearly, said her mother. “Her goal in life was to help people She was studying for her master's degree in child youth and family studies and hoped to become a social worker,” said Ms Maguire.
The family’s counsel, Declan Wade, told the court that Maxine, who suffered mental health issues, had presented to the emergency department at Naas General Hospital in December 2016 following a suspected overdose.
She was treated and later transferred to St Vincent’s in Dublin where she had a liver transplant.
Mr Wade told the court that Maxine was discharged home over the Christmas period but on December 31, 2016, she was rushed to hospital after a suicide attempt.
She died on February 7, 2017, in the burns unit of a Dublin hospital.
Mr Wade said the action was settled after mediation and that there were significant causation issues in the case.
Noting the settlement, including the division of the statutory €35,000 solatium payment for mental distress, Mr Justice Paul Coffey described the case as “sad and tragic” and extended his deepest sympathies to the Maguire family.
A 2019 inquest into Maxine's death recommended that a patient should receive a face-to-face review by a consultant psychiatrist before any decision to discharge is made.
The inquest said standard operating procedures should be put in place to make it easier to re-enter the mental health services after an extended period of discharge.
It also recommended that all medical files should be on a computer system accessible to all relevant medical professionals.
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