Hearing date set for child deaths inquiry

Editorial Department • Published 15 Sep 2011 13:00

The inquiry into the deaths of a number of children from suspected fluid overload in hospitals, including the Erne in Enniskillen, will begin its public hearings in November, seven years after it was set up.

The Inquiry into Hyponatraemia-related Deaths, chaired by John O'Hara QC, was established in 2004 and is investigating the deaths of Adam Strain, Raychel Ferguson and Claire Roberts.

The investigation into the death of 17-month-old Lucy Crawford from Fermanagh after treatment at the Erne in 2000 was initially dropped from the inquiry following a request from Lucy's family.

However, after the amendment of the Inquiry's terms of reference to exclude any probe into the death of Lucy Crawford, the Inquiry concluded that the terms required an investigation into the events which followed Lucy's death - such as the failure to identify the correct cause of death and an alleged Sperrin Lakeland cover-up - because they may have contributed to the death of another child, Raychel Ferguson in Altnagelvin Hospital in 2001.

At the latest progress hearing on Monday in Banbridge court house, where the inquiry will sit, Mr O'Hara laid out a schedule and provided a breakdown of how proceedings would unfold in the coming months.

The general opening statement of the inquiry will be read out by Senior Counsel to the Inquiry Monye Anyadike-Danes QC on Monday 7th November. This is due to be followed up by a specific statement in relation to the death of Adam Strain at Belfast's Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children.

Beyond the clinical issues in Adam Strain's case, the chairman said the inquiry will also look at governance issues- such as 'what, if anything should have be done after Adams death and what was done?' This will take place in the week commencing the 30th January.

The case of Claire Roberts, who was from East Belfast, will begin on the weeks commencing the 6th and 13th of February; Raychel Ferguson for three weeks on the weeks commencing 20th February; and Conor Mitchell, who was from Mid-Ulster, the week commencing the 19th March

Once Claire Robert's case has been examined, the inquiry will look at the aftermath of Lucy Crawford's death in 2000 which was the prelude to the inquiry.

After Claire Roberts died there wasn't an inquest into her death until after a UTV documentary aired in 2004. The programme investigated the death of baby Lucy Crawford and two other children who had died as a result of suspected fluid overload. The Impartial Reporter had also raised serious questions about the death of 17-month-old Lucy, from Letterbreen, who died in April 2000 following fatal errors in administering fluid in a drip.

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This article appeared in Impartial Reporter 15 Sep 11

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