Richard O'Donoghue Demands Criminal Probe into Hospital Cover-Up
Richard O'Donoghue spoke in the Dáil about the 2018 death of 18-year-old Jessica Sheedy and the subsequent findings against Dr Lall. He called for a criminal investigation into the then-CEO of the hospital, alleging tampering with evidence and misleading an independent inquiry, and demanded accountability for what he described as an eight-year cover-up at UHL.
Medical findings and admissions
The Committee of Fitness and Practice Inquiry of the Medical Council found three allegations of professional misconduct and ten poor professional performances against Dr Lall proven beyond doubt, and the speaker noted that Dr Lall has made full admissions. The Fitness to Practice hearing has been adjourned for submissions on sanction.
Calls for criminal investigation and allegations about management
Richard O'Donoghue urged that there should now be a criminal investigation into the then-CEO for alleged tampering with evidence, misleading an independent inquiry by withholding documentation, and silencing staff with non-disclosure agreements. He said only the current management at UHL had allowed the full information to come forward and criticised previous management for failing to act.
Patient safety concerns and accountability
The speaker stressed that the operation in 2018 should not have proceeded in the manner it did, describing a benign tumour procedure that led to major blood loss and admission to intensive care. He warned that an eight-year delay and alleged cover-up could have put other patients at risk and argued that a teaching hospital should admit mistakes and fix them rather than protect clinicians.
Government response and next steps
The Taoiseach described the case as shocking, noting failings including inadequate pre-planning and a delayed call for vascular intervention, and said questions about broader hospital practices need comprehensive examination. The speaker pointed out that the Minister for Health and the Minister for Justice were present and pressed for help to ensure justice and timely accountability for those overseeing the hospital at the time.
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Teashock, yesterday I marked something that had been brought up in this Dáil over the last number of years. Jessica Sheedy, who died at 18 years of age in Limerick. She was admitted on the 8th of May 2018 for an operation and she died on the 11th of May. And the Committee of Fitness and Practice Inquiry of Medical Council found three allegations of professional misconduct and ten poor professional performances made against Dr Lall had been proven beyond doubt. Dr Lall also accepts the other allegations of professional misconduct were proven. I brought this up so many times up here. I know Anne Louise and Jimmy, personally myself, I was at their wedding. But it's taken eight years to bring this to where it is today. And I have to thank the present management at UHL for allowing this to happen. I can't say I have the same respect for the previous management. So I am going to let the courts deal with, on a medical grounds, for Dr Lall for what he has done to the Sheedy family, to her friends and the wider community. But what I'm here today is asking is, I believe there should be a criminal investigation now into the CEO of the time of misconduct. Tampering with evidence. Misleading an independent inquiry by not providing all of the documentation for an independent inquiry to make their decision. There have been two independent inquiries and it's only now that all the information has come forward. silenced staff members and got them to sign a non-disclosure agreement to protect Dr Lall, who has admitted misconduct now. Eight years people have been put at risk. This is what we are on about because of a cover up in a hospital to protect Dr Lall. Nothing about the patients that have gone in there. It's a hospital. A learning hospital. If best practice was taken and something went wrong, you put your hands up and you fix it because it's a hospital. It's a learning place. But this was shown that there was no proper person doing the operation, should have never been allowed to do the operation in the first place. And by covering it up for eight years, how many other people have been seriously injured or have died under that same management? So I believe this should be brought up and it should be a criminal investigation against the then CEO. T-Shark to respond. Could I first of all, Deputy, thank you for raising this issue, this shocking situation. I saw it yesterday on the news, absolutely unacceptable that the family should lose their daughter in such circumstances. It seems to me that person should never have proceeded with the operation, should never have been doing the operation. I can't comprehend how that happened. A benign tumour, should have been a straightforward procedure. And then Jessica was taken to intensive care because it wasn't carried out in an effective manner. And we learned that he did not seek the intervention of a vascular surgeon in a sufficiently timely manner. It's just, and this isn't a major hospital in the country. After Jessica suffered a major blood loss during the procedure. And also failing to carry out adequate pre-planning for the surgery. And that's what the Fitness to Practice Committee heard. Dr. Lall has been the subject of a number of factual allegations, and he's made full admissions. So there are very, very serious issues here. The Medical Council found each of the allegations had been proven beyond reasonable doubt, and each amounted to a serious failing. So, and I know the hearing, I think, has been adjourned, correct, to Wednesday, for the hearing of submissions on a sanction. I don't want to prejudice what may follow here. But this has to be examined in the most comprehensive way, because questions arise then in the light of all of those clinical failings, which have resulted in the loss of life of a beautiful young woman. And it should never have happened. So what flows from that then, in terms of the broader workings of the hospital, how a clinician was in a position to undertake a surgery of this kind in the manner that it was taken. And I fully hear what you're saying. Obviously, different people have to take actions, not my urgings or others. You know, they have to be objectively arrived at and pursued. In other cases, disciplinary action was initiated, in terms of officials, as you know. But again, I'm not going to make assertions right here now. But this is, and this, I mean, words are of no use to the Sheehy family. Thank you, Taoiseach, and I see the Minister for Health is here, and the Minister for Justice is here as well, and other ministers. I'm asking for your help, that this took eight years. I'm asking for your help, that this took eight years, and only for Anne-Louise, her mother, Jimmy, Marcella, and all her friends, keeping at this, and having medical background themselves, this would have been buried for a lot longer, and only for the current management in the UHL, this would have been buried. But the problem I'm seeing here is, there has to be accountability of the people that were overseeing that hospital at that time. And the problem I see here is, this was buried for eight years. It's a hospital, learning hospital. If there was a mistake being made, let's put up your hands, and don't put anyone else at risk, but there has to be accountability for the then-CEO as well at the time. They were in hearing committee, I've brought it up on the door so many times here. We have to make sure justice prevails. This, to me, is, they have actually put people's health... Thank you, Deputy. There is no words, so please help and make sure justice is done. There has to be accountability, and you're correct in saying that. I appreciate what you've said about the current management. I also want to place on record. I think under the leadership of Bernard Gloucester, there has been a welcome change in approach to dealing with situations like this. And solve the problem. Yeah, but in terms of apologies being made much more timely, eight years is far too long. When everybody knew what had happened here. You're absolutely correct. In issues like medical surgeries, people should put their hand up. It should be about evaluating and learning and so on, and people should say that was done wrongly. It shouldn't take eight years for a family to get some sense of accountability in terms of what happened here. And the objective is to make sure it doesn't happen again to some other young person or to some other patient. That always has to be the objective. Thank you, Tisha. Thank you for raising it up. Thank you.
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