Statutory obligation is crucial as the HSE is still refusing to admit mistakes

Geraldine Barry was forced to watch her partner die, while all her emotional protests and questions were ignored, writes Karen Kearney, partner at Ernest J Cantillon Solicitors    

Hers is just one woman’s story, but the experience of Geraldine Barry, who watched her partner die from sepsis because of mistakes made at the Mercy University Hospital (MUH), is typical of the long, cruel and unnecessary delays brought about by the HSE and its indemnifiers, the State Claims Agency (SCA), refusing to accept liability, when they have clearly been at fault.

Geraldine’s partner, Chris Sayer, was a jazz musician and antiques dealer. Chris was 29 years older than Geraldine, but the age gap meant nothing to a couple who regarded each other as soulmates. “He was the love of my life,” Geraldine, 44, said.