The family of John Mee has settled a High Court action after he died following the accidental administration of another patient’s medication at a nursing home in Ennis, reports The Mirror.
The High Court heard that Mr Mee, aged 71 and from Miltown Malbay, was mistakenly given five medications intended for another resident at Cahercalla Community Hospital on June 24th, 2021.
The drugs included two antipsychotic medications, medication for heart pain, treatment for severe insomnia and an antidepressant.
Counsel for the family, Doireann O’Mahony, told the court it was their case that Mr Mee became increasingly drowsy and unwell after the medication error but was not transferred to hospital for approximately 18 hours, reports The Mirror.
She said that by the time he arrived at hospital, “the die was cast”, and he was later diagnosed with aspiration pneumonia and respiratory failure before dying on June 30th, 2021. reports The Mirror.
The court heard that liability had been admitted by the nursing home. Earlier this month, the board of directors of Cahercalla Community Hospital issued a written apology to the Mee family acknowledging that the incorrect administration of another patient’s medication resulted in Mr Mee’s death.
Outside court, Mr Mee’s sisters, Bernadette Mee and Gabriel Margaret Mee, said their brother had entered the nursing home believing he would receive the highest standard of care.
Bernadette Mee described the circumstances as heartbreaking and said the case was never about compensation but about ensuring the family’s story was heard and potentially preventing similar incidents from happening again, reports The Mirror.
She said the written apology from the nursing home was meaningful to the family because it formally acknowledged responsibility.
The proceedings alleged there had been failures in safely dispensing medication and monitoring Mr Mee’s deteriorating condition, particularly given his age and existing health conditions, reports The Mirror.
It was claimed staff failed to recognise the seriousness of his dropping oxygen levels and increasing drowsiness before his eventual transfer to University Hospital Limerick.
Paul Coffey approved the settlement, including a €35,000 mental distress payment to the family, and expressed his deepest sympathies, describing the circumstances as “a very sad and tragic case”, reports The Mirror.
An earlier coroner’s inquest returned a verdict of medical misadventure and concluded that the medication error had been a catalyst in the chain of events leading to Mr Mee’s death.
The inquest also heard that additional safeguards had since been introduced at the nursing home, including placing photographs of residents alongside room numbers and medication charts to reduce the risk of future errors. reports The Mirror.
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