Committee meets for Joel case inquiry

An independent committee investigating the Health Service Executive's dealings with the late Evelyn Joel will have its first meeting today.

Ms Joel (58), from Enniscorthy, died six days after she was admitted to Wexford General Hospital on January 1st. She had been suffering from multiple sclerosis and arthritis and was severely malnourished.

Her daughter, Eleanor, who had been caring for her, said her mother had refused to eat after her partner died in mid-December. She called the doctor on New Year's Day and an ambulance brought her mother to hospital.

A Garda inquiry into Ms Joel's death is under way and a file will be prepared for the coroner. Minister for Health Mary Harney said it was important that the Garda inquiry and the HSE inquiry reached their conclusions as quickly as possible.

While the HSE Southern Area has not set a time frame for its inquiry, it has asked the group to complete its report at the earliest possible opportunity.

The committee will be chaired by Dr Joe Duggan, consultant and geriatrician at the Mater hospital in Dublin.

The committee has been asked "to review the scope, range and level of services" to Ms Joel for the two years leading up to her death.

It will review the delivery and co-ordination of these services to Ms Joel and examine existing protocols and procedures in service delivery.

The investigation team will have access to "all files, records and expertise as required", according to the HSE Southern Area.

Yesterday Ms Harney said it was "unacceptable", "tragic" and "heartbreaking" to read the reports of Ms Joel's decline in her final weeks.

"Clearly I don't know why that happened. There were failings, very serious failings obviously, but where the responsibility lies remains to be determined," Ms Harney said on RTÉ radio.

"If it was the case that the health authorities in Wexford were aware of Evelyn Joel being an MS patient in vulnerable circumstances and no visit occurred and no effort was made to make contact with her, that would be a very serious situation indeed," the Tánaiste added.

She said a mechanism had to be found to ensure that vulnerable sick people maintained contact with the health authorities.

"One thing I want to make sure . . . is that nobody could possibly be left in these circumstances for what appears to be a long period of time before assistance is sought."

Ms Harney also said a mechanism must be found for people to raise an alarm if they were concerned about someone's welfare.

"It may well be that knowledge of Ms Joel might not have been available to the health authorities but yet I don't know whether or not there were visits from public health nurses or others.

"And I therefore do not want to comment as Minister for Health and Children on the basis of not having the facts."