Mayo family consider civil action against HSE over tragic death

The family of the late Patrick Rowland are contemplating taking a civil case against the HSE over the circumstances of his death, according to their solicitor.

Mayo coroner Patrick O’Connor recorded a verdict of accidental death at Mr Rowland’s inquest last week. The 69-year-old from Lahardane drowned after he absconded from Mayo University Hospital (MUH) in January 2023. He had spent over 40 hours on a trolley in the hospital's emergency department before being moved to a ward where he was receiving treatment for sepsis. 

The inquest heard that Mr Rowland had made previous attempts to leave the hospital and eventually exited via a back door, wearing only pyjamas and slippers. He was later found drowned in the Castlebar River. 

In making his decision to record a verdict of accidental death, Mr O’Connor said it was Mr Rowland’s own choice to leave the hospital despite his best medical interests and that hospital staff could not have lawfully physically detained him. However, Mr O'Connor made a number of recommendations in relation to hospital protocols and the treatment of patients. 

Speaking after the verdict, the Rowland family’s legal representative, Roger Murray SC of Callan Tansey Solicitors, said the family welcomed the five recommendations made by the coroner towards Saolta and the HSE regarding MUH.

However, he said the family remains "steadfast" that Mr Rowland’s key information was not passed to staff during the handover from the emergency department.

“The family’s position is that key clinical and non-clinical information was not given to staff on Ward B at handover. 

“It is the family’s steadfast position that had they been given that information, Patrick would not have left the hospital.” 

Mr Murray said the Rowland family is now contemplating taking civil proceedings against the HSE in relation to the circumstances surrounding the death of Patrick.

Mr Rowland’s son Cormac said the family continues to experience "great distress" following the tragedy.

“My father was a good citizen. He adhered to the rules of this country. He was a GAA man, a pillar of a man and the way he met his end causes us great distress.

“It is something we live with every day. All of these things happened within the context of the town we commute in and out of every day. Every day I drive past the place where my father fell in. I drive past the place where I had my last phone call with him.

“He was a hero to me and I’ll be forever indebted for everything he did for me.” 

Mr Rowland said that the coroner's recommendations offer the family "some level of comfort".

“An absconding policy should be proactive. If someone is hitting markers or articulating they want to leave, that has to be a red light and we have to have a situation where that gets passed from one part of the hospital to the other.

“The crux of all this is the lack of communication from one place to the next and my father slipped through the cracks and ultimately, we have to bear that burden.”