Medical staff at a hospital were on Friday evening granted leave of the High Court to force feed a 21-year-old man who has been refusing to take any food or liquids.
David Leahy SC, counsel for the Health Service Executive (HSE), told Ms Justice Siobhan Stack that the young man’s life was in danger unless hospital doctors were permitted to intervene and feed him through a gastric tube.
Mr Leahy, who appeared with Olive Doyle of Byrne Wallace Shields Solicitors, told the court the patient had been refusing food for 13 days and had not taken any liquids for 72 hours before the HSE’s application.
The court heard the man had an intellectual debility throughout his life and 2025 had seen a cycle of admissions to psychiatric units. Last month he turned up at an accident and emergency unit and had been admitted formally to the hospital. He had required medical treatment and there was evidence of substance abuse.
READ MORE
Mr Leahy said he had been refusing to eat and had suffered a significant loss of weight.
A doctor gave evidence that it was appropriate for the hospital to have the legal authority to force feed the patient under minimal restraint if necessary.
He said the man did not have the capacity to understand his situation or the ability to consider and retain information regarding the significant threat of death.
The doctor told the judge that if the court orders were granted the medical staff would implement them straight away. The man was not aware of the gravity of what was going on and life-saving intervention was imperative.
The judge granted the HSE a number of orders permitting hospital staff to force feed the young man and permission to take all steps necessary in a medical emergency situation.
She adjourned the proceedings until Monday, January 12th, with leave for the man’s guardian ad litem to apply to the court in the meantime regarding the orders she had made.
