The mother of a young Derry young girl who died following an operation to remove her appendix in Altnagelvin Hospital says a health trust had “no choice” but to admit liability for her death 12 years ago.
Distraught – Marie Ferguson.
Since the death of their only daughter, Raychel, in 2001, Marie and Raymond Ferguson have condemned the behaviour of the Western Health and Social Care Trust as “disgusting” as she they fought to get the truth behind their only daughter’s treatment at the hospital.
Now, 12 years on, the Trust has admitted liability and made an offer of a negotiated settlement.
The Fergusons were made aware of the Trust’s admission of liability just before the start of the Hyponatraemia Inquiry on Friday morning when a copy of a letter was given to their barrister before being read out to the hearing, which is taking place in Banbride.
Hyponatraemia is a condition where there is not enough salt in the body, causing the brain to swell because of a low level of sodium in the bloodstream. The heartbroken couple have never accepted the circumstances surrounding the loss of Raychel, who died a day after the operation and after being administered with a lethal dose of intravenous fluid.
Following the Trust’s announcement, Mrs Ferguson it was “not about the money” but a promise she made to her daughter following her death.
She said: “I’ve done what I set out to do. I promised Raychel the last time she left the house in her coffin that I would get justice for her, so I hope that she’s up there today looking down.
Mrs Ferguson added the Trust had “no choice” but to admit liability as “the evidence was there.”
She added: “The experts were saying it. This should have been done a long time ago and could have saved a lot of heartache for me and my family.”
Despite welcoming the admission of liability, Mrs Ferguson said she was still “angry” with the Trust.
She said: “This has been the first time the Trust, doctors and the nurses have been brought to book, made to stand up and admit to that they have done wrong. All along the Trust’s behaviour towards us has been disgusting.
“I remember at Raychel’s inquest one of their barristers had questioned me and said if Raychel was that sick, ‘then why did you leave?’ Every parent knows their our own child, and we kept telling them constantly that Raychel was just not well, but they weren’t taking anything on board.”
Mrs Ferguson said she was also not happy with the fact the Trust had offered to negotiate a settlement.
She said: “I was very surprised to read the last few lines of the letter when the Trust talked about settlement. This was never about money – money can’t bring Raychel back to us. I still have to live the rest of my life with the pain, knowing she’s not here.”
As well as examining Raychel’s death, the inquiry is also looking into the deaths of Adam Strain (4) and Claire Roberts (9) and investigating events following the deaths of Lucy Crawford (17 months) and specific issues arising from the treatment of Conor Mitchell (15) – who died in other Northernhospitals across Northern Ireland from 1995 to 2001.
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