Hospital death – Imperative that trust is restored

Trust in medical professionals should be at the core of our health service, but in the tragic case of nine-year-old Frances Sheridan it was misplaced.

A matter-of-fact report blamed “system inadequacies” in Cavan General Hospital for the little girl’s death, but a prime factor was a misdiagnosis by two inexperienced junior doctors.

This was a critical factor, but there were others peculiar to the hospital which coincided to cause Frances’ untimely death. According to the report by the North Eastern Health Board, no disciplinary action will be taken against any member of staff arising from Frances’ death.