Our Lady's Children's Hospital in Crumlin in Dublin has apologised to the parents of a two-year-old boy who died at the hospital just over seven years ago.
Pierce Nowlan, who had haemophilia, died after one of his arteries was punctured during what was supposed to be a routine procedure to help his condition.
He suffered cardiac arrest and died just a few days after his second birthday.
Lawyers for the hospital told the High Court today that it acknowledged the care afforded to Pierce was in many respects not as it should have been and not as Pierce or his parents were entitled to expect.
The hospital said it deeply regretted and apologised to Pierce's parents, Stephen and Jean Nowlan, and their family for the failures in the care of Pierce.
It said it appreciated and greatly regretted the huge trauma and suffering of the family resulting from the tragic death of their son.
In a statement afterwards, Mr and Mrs Nowlan said their son went into hospital for a standard procedure in October 2004 and died there.
They said they had one question for the medical staff involved: "How did this happen?"
They said it had taken seven years, a High Court action and an amendment to the Coroner's Act to finally get the answer and an apology.
In the statement, read by Mrs Nowlan, the family said that as grieving parents they should not have had to meet a wall of silence and culture of denial from the hospital.
Mrs Nowlan said they had put their trust in the hospital and the hospital failed them and their son.
She said it was their intention to close the matter by making a complaint to the Medical Council in relation to a surgeon at the hospital.
Mrs Nowlan said nothing would ever bring their son back and they would miss him every day for the rest of their lives.
But she said if the hospital had learned that it needed to improve its procedures and how it provided information to grieving families, at least something positive would come out of this terrible tragedy.
