The inquest into the death of Darby King has today revealed that there were concerns raised at the time of his death over staffing shortages in Mayo Regional Hospital.
Several nurses today admitted before the Castlebar Coroners Courts that they had strong concerns about patient safety at the time of Mr. Kings death due to a shortage of staff.
Clinical Nursing Manager Jennifer Quinn told the inquest of her attempts to raise these concerns with the HSE by sending emails detailing the issue at the hospital on the 22nd and 24th of April 2014, days before Mr. King was admitted and subsequently passed away.
Mr. King (82) was injured when he collided with a stationary car while driving. He reported the reason for the collision as him having been blinded by the sunlight.
Though both cars received minimal damages, Mr. King had to attend hospital after the accident to treat his injuries. He had received minor lacerations to forehead and small cuts to his face. He denied having lost consciousness during or after the accident and denied having any neck, back or chest pains.
Despite the fact that his injuries were considered minor and non-fatal; his condition deteriorated between the date he was admitted (24th of April 2014) and the date of his death in Mayo Regional Hospital (27th April 2014).
Geraldine Flannery, a nurse in Mayo Regional Hospital, reported there being a shortage of staff the day Mr. King was admitted, emphasising that there were 100 patients admitted to the emergency department on that day alone.
In the months after the death of Mr.King the HSE also reported that 13,000 scheduled operations had to be cancelled by hospitals nationwide due to staff shortages, with 285 inpatient procedures and 187 day procedures being cancelled in Mayo Regional Hospital alone.
The inquest into Mr. Kings death is ongoing.