The recent settlement of a High Court action involving Mr. Hugh O’Donnell has highlighted a significant milestone in Irish patient safety and legal practice.
On August 15, 2025, Mr. O’Donnell was a patient in the Critical Care Unit at St. Luke’s General Hospital in Kilkenny when a portion of the ceiling collapsed directly onto him. This was a deeply distressing incident for Mr. O’Donnell, who was already being treated for serious infections, and a source of immense concern for his family.
John Whelan, an expert in Patient Safety and the Patient Safety Act 2023, facilitated a Voluntary Patient Safety Open Disclosure Meeting following this incident. We believe this case was one of the first voluntary meetings to take place under this new framework. Another notable aspect of this case is that the incident was not a specific medical incident; rather, it related to Mr. O’Donnell’s general care and safety within the hospital environment.
It is important to understand that while the information obtained during a Patient Safety Open Disclosure Meeting is privileged, meaning it generally cannot be used as evidence against the healthcare provider in a Court of Law, the patient is not prevented from pursuing legal action. This meeting serves as a ‘path to truth’, while your right to seek justice through the courts remains fully protected.
This case has garnered extensive national and local media attention with this article in the Irish Independent and also the Irish Times. Other coverage included:
Breaking News
Echo Live
Waterford News and Star
Irish Mirror
Carlow Nationalist
Kildare Nationalist
Laois Nationalist
Western People
Daily News Now
Roscommon Herald
The Liberal.ie
At Whelan Law, we remain committed to pressing for Patient Safety reform and ensuring that these initiatives are used to their full potential to diminish medical misadventure across Ireland.