Review into fatal assault of Matthew Healy in Cork hospital not yet published
Matthew Healy, a retired farmer from Berrings, Co Cork, died on January 22, after an incident in a six-person ward of a hospital.
The status of an internal review into the fatal assault of an elderly man at the Mercy University Hospital last January is unknown.
Matthew Healy, 89, a retired farmer from Berrings, Co Cork, died on January 22, after an incident in a six-person ward of the hospital.
A man has been charged with his murder.
The hospital launched a review of procedures after Ms Healy was fatally injured in a general ward.
The review was being carried out by a team of experts, adhering to the guidelines laid out in the Health Service Executive’s Incident Management Framework.
Under that framework, such reviews should be completed within 125 days of the incident, but with more complex cases the completion date can be pushed back.
It was agreed the date for completion of the report would be August 9 of this year, but the review has never been published.
The HSE framework states: “To assist with a responsive and timely approach to review and with building a culture of safety, reviews should be completed within the shortest possible timeframe.
"For concise and comprehensive reviews, this should not exceed 125 days from the time of occurrence of the incident. It is however accepted that in some circumstances this timeframe will not be achievable.”
Last month, a spokesman for the hospital told the : “The chief executive has not had the output from the review yet.”
Attempts since then to clarify if the review has been completed have not been successful.
Reviews can be paused or adjourned before being continued again.
At the opening of an inquest into Mr Healy’s death in September, the hospital was not in a position to give an update on its review.
The hearing was told the Berrings man suffered traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries linked to blunt force trauma in the incident in Room 2 of St Joseph’s ward at the hospital.
In the aftermath, counselling services were provided to patients and staff affected.
Patients who saw the incident were subsequently moved to another ward.
Mr Healy’s death came just three weeks after his wife Delia died.
At his funeral Mass, a framed photo of Matthew and Delia, taken 13 years ago following the birth of their grandson Matthew, sat on a table beside the coffin.
His strong faith was symbolised by a finger rosary which was laid on the table at the start of the ceremony, on top of an iPad to signify his lifelong love of technology.
