Mum of tragic teen hailed for her devotion
THE mother of a teenage boy who died in hospital was praised for her devotion at his inquest yesterday.
Orin McBride from the Waterside area of Londonderry was 14 when he passed away at the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children (RBHSC) on June 28, 2015.
The cause of death was Pancreatitis along with several other conditions including epilepsy, Hydrocephalus and Global Developmental delay.
The young boy’s mother, Majella McBride, had raised several concerns about his care throughout the inquest and was visibly upset as the coroner Paddy McGurgan delivered his findings yesterday.
Her central dispute was her permission to withdraw life support from her son.
Mr McGurgan found he was satisfied that all medical staff had acted “beyond reproach” and that she had agreed to his end of life care following a thorough discussion.
Less than two weeks before Orin’s death, a concerned GP visited the family home and found him so gravely ill she thought he would die. Having already been hospitalised several times that year, a care plan had been agreed that future treatment would take place in RBHSC. Against his mother’s wishes, Dr Karen Connolly made the decision to send him to Altnagelvin Hospital, fearing he would not survive the trip to Belfast.
Mr McGurgan also found this to be the right decision, stating it was a time sensitive matter and that he received the same quality of care in Altnagelvin as he would have in Belfast.
“I have no doubt the deceased was gravely ill on June 16 and positively commend Dr Connolly for her actions,” he said.
“While a transfer RBHSC would have been ideal, I find being transferred to Altnagelvin did not negatively impact on the deceased’s care.”
Although it didn’t affect the final outcome, Mr McGurgan did say there was “insufficient attention” paid to making sure enough people were aware of the RBHSC care plan, including staff at Altnagelvin. A further three days passed before the deceased could be transferred to Belfast due to bed shortages.
“I find the staff in Altnagelvin were constantly in contact with RBHSC, treated the deceased appropriately and were constantly trying to secure a bed,” he said.
“Not withstanding this, the evidence suggests that the issue with beds is a very serious concern.”
The coroner added that arrangements for sharing information between health providers was out of date.
“While it did not affect the outcome, I find the lack of digital connection between a GP and hospitals in the 21st century to be inexcusable,” he said.
“I find no satisfactory reason for different trusts to be operating on different computer systems, particularly given it’s a National Health Service and not a regional health service.
“The evidence suggests these issues need to be addressed as a matter of priority.”
Addressing Ms McBride, Mr McGurgan praised her for her genuine devotion to her son and bravery in attending the inquest.
“What stands out for me is that every single witness who came into contact with Ms McBride, have paid tribute to her absolute dedication and devotion to Orin,” he said.
“Even, as we’ve learned, to the extent that she prioritised Orin and her other children’s needs above and beyond her own
❝ I pay tribute to the dignity with which you’ve approached this inquest
whenever she was going through difficult times in her own personal life.
“I readily acknowledge it’s not easy, as a mother in particular, to sit through days and days of evidence about the loss of a son.
“I pay tribute to the fortitude and dignity with which you’ve approached this inquest.”
A representative from the Health and Social Care Board also expressed his condolences to the family.