The parents of two-year-old Róisín Ruddle, who died after her heart operation was postponed by Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children in Crumlin, told yesterday of how their grief was compounded when after their child's death the hospital rang to sympathise and, at the same time, tell them her operation had been rescheduled for the following week. Eithne Donnellan, Health Correspondent reports.
In their first comments since two reports were published this week into their daughter's death, Mr Gerard Ruddle and Mrs Helen Quain-Ruddle said they believed their "wonderful little girl" would still be alive if her corrective heart surgery had gone ahead on June 30th, 2003.
The Ruddles said their grief was aggravated a few hours after Róisín's death, when they were contacted by the hospital authorities "to express their regret at her death and to further state that her operation had been rescheduled for the following week".
They were also hurt when informed by a "parents support group" that contracts had been signed for improvements at the hospital as a consequence of what had happened. "Well intentioned as it may be - our little girl was not yet in her grave," they said.
The family, in a statement, also raised questions about whether or not insufficient funding for nurses might have played a factor in their child's death. They said they had concerns immediately after Róisín's death on July 1st, 2003, about a statement in a report sent by Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children to the Eastern Regional Health Authority regarding intensive-care nurses. It stated: "In recent months the hospital has approached a number of agencies to assist in this matter and it has been established that some nurses are available if funding is made available."
The Ruddles wondered could it be possible they lost their child due to a lack of funding. Funding, however, is not referred to as an issue in the independent report into their daughter's death.
They were also "astounded" to find their child's complete record of attendance at Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children in a Sunday newspaper the month after her death. They regarded this as "most insensitive and a gross invasion of our privacy".
Of further concern to them was the fact that they were asked by their child's consultant cardio-thoracic surgeon, Mr Freddie Wood, to contact his office about getting an appointment for their child's surgery, which then took three months to arrange.
Mr Wood told the independent inquiry team it was standard practice to ask parents of children on his surgical waiting list to contact his office regularly.
It was a double-check to ensure no patient was omitted from the waiting list.
It also provided parents with a way of notifying him of any change or deterioration in the medical condition of a child, he said.