A couple whose young son died shortly after falling unconscious while in respite care at a centre in Dún Laoghaire have secured an apology at the High Court under a settlement of their action over his care at the centre.
Tristan Neiland, who had various medical conditions including epilepsy, was rushed to hospital after being found unconscious in his room at the Carmona Respite Services Centre in Dun Laoghaire on January 6th 2013. He was pronounced dead shortly afterwards.
His parents alleged Tristan, aged almost seven, died as a result of the failure by the centre to use an oxygen saturation monitor despite a care protocol providing for that and instructions from his mother to do so.
The claims were denied and the case settled today on terms including an apology from the services.
Tristan's mother Angela was upset as she showed Mr Justice Kevin Cross a photograph of her son who she said went into the centre as a happy boy on a Friday afternoon and returned on a Monday afternoon "in a white coffin".
"He left our house running and laughing and he came home lifeless". After investigations, the terms neglect and abuse had been used to describe the care received by Tristan and those "are words we live with", she said.
She hoped other families who seek respite "are aware and vigilant of the care and lack of care that are provided by institutions".
An external investigation had described this as the "worst case of lack of governance" in an institution they had ever seen, she said.
"Tristan died unnoticed, he died alone and we have only an estimation as to his time of death, he died with equipment and medication that was part of his medical protocol only feet away."
