The mother of a young woman who died following failures at Midland Regional Hospital Mullingar, after she was crushed by her horse, has said the care she received there “beggars belief”.
Earlier this week, the hospital unreservedly apologised for the “failures in care provided” to Bryonny Sainsbury, a hairdresser from Newtownforbes, Co Longford, who died in August 2021.
Her mother, Alison, described her as “full of fun”, “mischievous” and “hard-working”, saying she “loved her horses”.
“You still think she’s going to run in the back door,” she said, speaking on RTÉ Radio’s Today with David McCullagh programme on Thursday.
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The 25-year-old had been attending to her horse in a stable with a vet on August 26th when it became spooked and crushed her against a wall, causing a serious brain injury.
Ms Sainsbury was left unconscious for several minutes after the incident and was subsequently taken to the hospital.
Over a three-day period, her mother recalled seeking a transfer to Beaumont Hospital in Dublin due to her condition, saying she was hallucinating and her temples were beginning to swell, though she claimed she was told by staff that her daughter was “not bad enough”.
“It just beggars belief,” she said.
She said her concerns were not taken seriously by staff, adding that despite her daughter’s condition deteriorating, no updates were sent to Beaumont Hospital.
“As far as Beaumont were concerned, Bryonny was okay,” she said.
On August 29th, she said she received a “frantic call” from the hospital, informing her that her daughter’s condition had deteriorated.
Ms Sainsbury was subsequently transferred to Beaumont Hospital, where her parents were soon after informed that she was brain dead.
“You don’t take that in, you know, you think you can take your daughter home, and he said you can’t because the incubator is keeping her alive,” she said.
Prof Donncha O’Brien, a consultant neurosurgeon at Beaumont Hospital, previously told an inquest hearing that Ms Sainsbury’s condition was “treatable” but he was “powerless to act” in treating her because of the lack of communication from staff at Mulingar regarding her condition.
Had he seen CAT scans taken of her brain at Mullingar, he would have requested her transfer, he said.
Although she received the apology from the hospital, Ms Sainbury’s mother noted it was years after her death.
Legal proceedings launched by the family following an inquest verdict of medical misadventure were fully contested.
“They knew that they had done wrong, yet they still put a family through more trauma when you’re trying to grieve your only daughter,” she said.
The family’s solicitor, Karen Clabby, recalled an “outpouring of grief” after the 25-year-old’s death.
“I think the tragic aspect was none of us knew of the reality behind the scenes,” she said, adding that the family have had to “relive very traumatic experiences that should never have happened”.
Apologising on Tuesday for the failures, the hospital told the High Court that all recommendations arising from a review have been implemented.
