The family of a 76-year-old man who died from sepsis two days after being discharged from University Hospital Limerick (UHL) in 2023, have said they are "living through hell," following an inquest that returned a verdict which confirmed a series of failings in his care.
Michael Cuddihy's family are calling for a wider inquiry into his care, to try to get information they said remains outstanding about his death despite a HSE review into the case.
"There are questions that we have that still haven't been answered," Mr Cuddihy’s daughter, Anne Cuddihy, said.
"There are things in the review that don't make sense to us that we would like investigated further. We would like to know exactly what was happening on the day my dad was in hospital."
"We want a proper full inquiry into the situation when my dad was in that hospital," Ms Cuddihy said.
Mr Cuddihy died in November 2023 after attending UHL with severe abdominal pain and vomiting. He was discharged and his condition deteriorated at home.
He was found dead in bed by his wife Áine two days later, having developed sepsis linked to an infection from a trapped gallstone.
Earlier this month, the inquest into his death returned a verdict of medical misadventure, and the HSE "apologised unreservedly" to the family.
An earlier assessment of his care noted there had been an increased risk to patient safety at the time arising from chronic overcrowding at UHL’s emergency department.
"It’s been another part of an ongoing nightmare that we have been living through since November 2023," Ms Cuddihy said.
"Of course, we welcome the verdict from the coroner. The verdict of medical misadventure is one that makes sense to us. However, hearing everything that happened to my dad during his time in hospital and living through that during the inquest was just horrendous."
"I had to leave the courtroom with my mother and my aunt. We all had to leave. It was too much," she added.
The HSE did open a systems analysis review into Mr Cuddihy’s care but the family said they only received the report the night before the inquest.
"We were traumatised. We were grieving. We needed answers," Ms Cuddihy said.
"Each time we got a response it was just delay after delay… It was only when our solicitor got involved — and even then, it arrived the night before the inquest," she added.
In response to questions about the interview, the HSE told Prime Time in a statement that "management and staff at University Hospital Limerick would like to reiterate our apology to Áine, Anne, Tony and Emma Cuddihy for the failings in care that sadly and unfortunately led to Michael’s untimely death."
"The external review was shared with the Cuddihy family in advance of Michael’s inquest on 9 April 2025 and we have offered to meet with the family to discuss the findings of the review."
"We are committed to the implementation in full of the seven recommendations made by the external review team, of which two have already been implemented."
"An additional recommendation made by the Limerick coroner has also been implemented."
"We apologise unreservedly to the Cuddihy family for their loss and for the distress and upset this has caused. We are willing to discuss with them any questions they have arising from the external review."
For Ms Cuddihy and her family, the impact of what happened at UHL is felt every day in their grief and in the absence of the man they depended on.
"My dad was our rock. My God, the man was amazing," Anne Cuddihy said, "He was our safe space. He was our support. He was always there for all of us. And we are absolutely lost without him."
"My mother is finding it very, very difficult to get through the days. He did everything for her — shopping, cooking, driving, everything. While we look after her, we’re not a replacement for my dad. He’s gone."
Fran McNulty’s interview with Anne Cuddihy, produced by Brídóg Ní Bhuachalla, on the death of Michael Cuddihy broadcasts on the 22 April edition of Prime Time at 9.35pm on RTÉ One and the RTÉ Player.
