Donnelly urged to re-examine case of nursing home resident who died with infested face wound
The new Health Minister is being urged to re-examine a case of a nursing home resident who died two weeks after being admitted to hospital with an infestation of maggots in a face wound.
Ultan Meehan was brought to hospital on May 29, two weeks after his wife raised concern about his condition on a visit to Kilbrew Nursing Home in Ashbourne, Co Meath.
Medics at Connolly Hospital subsequently found that the open wound on his face was infested with maggots.
The 79-year-old, who had dementia and terminal cancer, died of sepsis on June 15.
Mervin Taylor from Sage Advocacy says there are question marks surrounding his care.
"We would ask the new minister Stephen Donnelly to actually look at this case again and there are two possible ways - one is to bring it to the nursing home expert panel to look at the specifics and the other is to have an independent person look at all of the issues here."
Sage Advocacy said it is disappointed former Health Minister Simon Harris didn't launch an investigation.
Mr Martin said the case raises issues about the appropriateness of place of care, about clinical governance and responsibility for that.
He said it also raises issues about "quality and the way in which our State agencies work across sectors with this pass the parcel attitude which really we have to get to the root of after all of the tragedy of Covid-19."
In a statement, Kilbrew chief executive James Keeling says the nursing home submitted a report to HIQA on June 25 regarding the late Mr Meehan and is now awaiting the outcome of a further review by the health watchdog.
He says Kilbrew like many others nursing homes have been under acute pressure in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic.
