- a 75 year old woman falls down the stairs in Cavan the hospital fail to find 7 broken ribs on x-ray. She dies. Family awarded 200,000+ euro compensation.
- Hundreds of women's cervical smear scans mis-read and cancer missed. Women die and the HSE defend court cases to prevent compensation claims.
- 60 families of deaf children receive apology from HSE over audiology services in West of Ireland, a further 58 may receive apology also
- a 66 year old woman was referred to Geriatrician as an emergency (suicidal/despairing/depressed) on 20th Dec 2018 - she has heard nothing from services.
- a woman with prior mental health difficulties has tried to register with 15-20 GP's no-one will take her on as a patient
- a woman in her late 60's is de-registered from GP practice for arguing with receptionists over paying for bloods to be taken. [she was told as a medical card holder she didn't have to pay. the receptionist argued she did. the result SHE was de-registered for alleged 'aggressiveness'. this person lives in poverty. is multiply disabled, wheelchair user; she was merely 'cash desperate'] *NB; to call a person trying to defend themselves or seek the help they need 'aggressive' is now a common HSE practice to divert from HSE failings. Any distress, raised voice is deemed 'aggressive' and an 'incident' form filled in thus categorizing the patient as 'trouble' even 'dangerous'. it's a despicable diversion/ploy. it also could possible be defamation.
- another patient was 'de-registered' for posting on facebook her GP practice was not 'disabled accessible' . she had NOT identified the GP or practice.
- HSE apologise to hundreds of women who have to wait 18 months for smear test results
- a woman in her late 60's has been told she will be seen in 6-8 weeks over a possible cancer secondary (had cancer in 2012) [I've been told by a GP people over 65 are supposed to be seen within 2 weeks?]
- HSE apologises for failings in care of a longed for baby who died.
- HSE apologise for death of woman who had jugular vein torn during routine surgery.
- a female patient recently disclosed that she was told she'd have to wait to be seen after discovering a breast lump. she went private and was seen immediately. her public health appointment came through 9 months later. her comment as she finished private chemotherapy "if I'd waited I'd be dead by now" Yes she would be! many are. what if you cannot afford to 'go private'? do you just die?
- the HSE are deeming older people incompetent to care for themselves at home, going to court to take wardship proceedings and removing older people (against their will) to nursing homes so that they do not have to give 'community care' in the person's own home. Judges believe the HSE know best!
- a female patient with a neuro-muscular disease was told she was having a 'panic attack' in A&E. This turned out to be a vagus nerve/autonomic dysfunction. [but the patient endured several days of verbal abuse by staff for 'just panicking and to 'calm down' until her consultant came back from leave] She is now terrified of going to A&E.
- The person relying on public physiotherapy cannot get it.
- Mobility scooters for disabled people are no longer provided in some areas.
- Orthopaedic shoes are delayed not given.
- wheelchairs needed are delayed and sub-standard wheelchairs, often 'second hand' are given.
- repairs of wheelchairs taking months where disabled people are 'imprisoned' in their own homes waiting.
- Hydrotherapy not accessible by many needing it
- learning disabled people and elderly people suffer abuse and harm in homes/nursing homes - see many HIQA reports of substandard abusive care. cf recent Primetime programme where a husband was banned from visiting his wife because he had reported suspicion of abuse of her (bruises) .
- Patients who request their files under FOI 2014 are finding large tracts 'redacted' without explanation. They are not having full FOI rights under 2014 legislation.
- over 1,000 young disabled people are languishing in nursing homes - where they shouldn't be, because of no accessible housing for them.
just a few cases in recent months. there are hundreds more with hundreds of civil law suits against the HSE pending in courts. (Figures we are not told about)
Apologies, compensation do not make up for the huge trauma and distress 'Victims of the HSE' are experiencing today.
The public have no idea the perilous state of their public health service. they are not told. they are not told whether or not their Consultant has, in fact, their full qualification to practice as a consultant because many are allowed practice without full certification/qualification. Patients do not have a 'right' to know.
Patients have little recourse to the General Medical Council of Ireland recently accused of not supporting patients.
https://www.google.ie/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjks576jc3gAhUTUhUIHfGhBiUQFjABegQICBAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.irishtimes.com%2Fnews%2Fhealth%2Fmedical-council-guidelines-not-centred-on-patients-scally-report-1.3627293&usg=AOvVaw1hl7qB5B8kIHhMEUdqqfUg
in one case (taken to the GMC in 2018) the GMC exonerated a Neurologist who in 2017 (after discharging patient) asked one UK hospital "what's this about muscle myopathy...? He had been told in 2014 the patient had muscle myopathy found after muscle biopsy (that is the removal of a piece of muscle for detailed specialist examination) which had been undertaken in another UK hospital, (he asked the wrong hospital!) yet in 2017 he still had not registered this finding. He had received the full UK hospital's findings in 2014. other failings were also ignored by GMC Ireland.
No case against him was found - he remains in practice.
There is no-where to go if the HSE fails you and your care and treatment fails.
'Your Say-Your Service' the complaints process, is as useful as a chocolate teapot. With HSE senior managers 'investigating' their own staff. this is patently not independent or even transparent. Self-regulation does not work. Collusion and cover up potential is seriously underestimated. is this deliberate? to allow in house investigations to prevent the full truth emerging. to deny patients their full rights.
Even complaints upheld result in very little action even if great harm has occurred. two patients had their complaints about being called 'serial complainers' upheld. recommendations were made 4 years ago by the investigator ombudsman yet have still not been implemented fully.
We the people of Ireland, Sick, Disabled, older are 'Victims of the HSE' and we are denied full justice, a health service that should have 21st Century standards - not 18C standards!
and now its going to get worse as the health funds are diverted to building an extravagant over-blown, and fraudulently expensive children's hospital not in the least necessary for a country with only approx. a 4 million population.
Who is running this 'show' that is called 'health care'?
Victims of the HSE are angry, feel betrayed and are frightened about their care.
Just WHO is caring for public patients in Ireland?
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