Human Error

A 53 year old mother died whilst her abnormal test results lay around in a "typing pool" in Mayo General Hospital for two weeks.


Thousands of x-rays are backlogged at Tallaght hospital still, with 7,000 x - rays that have not been properly checked by radiologists needing to be rechecked.


I could go on listing health stories of this calibre, as they are sadly numerous in the HSE of late. But I don't think there is any need. It's pretty obvious something's wrong, and there are pointers at where this problem lies.


I had the unfortunate pleasure of sampling the Italian healthcare system a couple of years ago while on holidays. I was whisked through A&E, saw a doctor, filled a single form in containing all my details and was treated. In a similar scenario in Ireland, I wasn't so much whisked as sat in a corner and piled with so much paperwork, I thought they presumed I was there for a job interview.


The Irish system lacks efficient organisation, on an administration level and on a ward level. I'm certainly no expert, but it's plain the one that's there at the moment doesn't work. How can a radiologist "not properly check" a number of x-rays? How can they leave the test results of somebody who is very ill on a desk for two weeks?!

What I want to know is why isn't some sort of action being taken to stop careless mistakes resulting in people's lives - a husband, a mother, a daughter - being taken away so needlessly? A simple reshuffling of how they handle administration could stop errors like this from happening.

But of course, I forgot. That costs money. And we all know Ms Harney needs another holiday.

RP