Medical negligence never events, those things in medicine that should never happen, unfortunately do happen, and you could suffer the effects of one.

A Never Event in the HSE, such as wrong-site surgery, could affect you for life, and you can make a medical negligence claim* for compensation for the impact on you and your loved ones.

Never events are called never events for a reason, and they usually only happen due to medical negligence.

Valerie Kearins Solicitors can make your medical negligence never event compensation claim.

Table of Content

What is a Never Event in the HSE?

A never event in the HSE is a medical procedure that should just never happen. In Ireland, medical negligence leads to injuries, but identifying how negligence happens can help avoid repetition.

Serious Reportable Events are the HSE’s term for errors in procedures and planning that lead to never events. The HSE puts protocols in place to make sure they never happen again. The list of Serious Reportable Events, SRE, is long, but good medical practice can avoid one happening again.

The HSE recorded over 109,000 adverse incidents in 2024 alone. Of the adverse incidents, they listed 497 as extreme and 158 as major, serious reportable events. An extreme event could lead to death or severe disability. The 2024 figure showed an increase of 1,700 adverse incidents from the 2023 reported numbers. LINK

Never events, serious reportable events, extreme adverse incidents, they all happen regardless of what you call them.

Valerie Kearins medical negligence solicitors will be with you when making a Never Event claim against the HSE.

What are common never events that occur in the HSE?

Common never events in the HSE range from the surgical negligence never events to the medical device never events to the care management never events.

You can make a medical negligence claim* against the HSE for the impact of the Never Event on your life.

Common never event claims against the HSE:

Surgical never event claims are for the medical negligence during surgery, which would have never happened if the surgical team followed HSE guidelines.

Types of surgical serious reportable events in the HSE:

  • Surgery on the wrong body part
  • Surgery on the wrong patient
  • Retention of surgical equipment following surgery

Valerie Kearins Solicitors can make your surgical never event medical negligence claim*.

Medical devices can make a huge difference to the quality of a patient’s life and are in use throughout the HSE.

Medical negligence with the type and use of medical devices can cause severe harm.

Types of medical device never events in the HSE:

  • Patient harm due to a contaminated medical device or medications
  • Incorrect use of a medical device on a vulnerable patient
  • Patient death or disability due to errors when inserting a medical device

Valerie Kearins Solicitors can make your medical device never event medical negligence claim*.

Patient protection never events can have serious consequences for those involved. The HSE has child protection and patient well-being protocols in place, and patient safety must be a priority.

Types of patient protection never event claims:

  • Vulnerable child or adult discharged to the wrong person
  • Death of a vulnerable patient who absconded from care by the HSE
  • Injuries due to a lack of patient protection in a HSE mental health facility

Valerie Kearins medical negligence solicitors can make your patient protection never event claim.

Patient care management, such as medication administration, is a common source of medical negligence claims* against the HSE.

HSE staff are trusted with the care of all patients and should not make errors with day-to-day management.

Types of patient care management claims against the HSE:

  • Medication errors leading to serious injury and even death
  • Administration of the incorrect blood product to a patient
  • Death or serious injury due to diagnostic errors

Valerie Kearins Solicitors can make your patient care management never event claim.

Environmental protection, the safe upkeep of HSE facilities, is a priority for HSE administration, yet patients still suffer death and injury when in the care of the HSE.

Types of environmental protection claims against the HSE:

  • Toxic gas poisoning due to the wrong gas in the oxygen line
  • Electrocution and other injuries due to the lack of maintenance of equipment
  • Injury following a fall on a wet floor or being dropped by HSE healthcare staff 

The care and upkeep of HSE facilities are vital to patient safety, and Valerie Kearins Solicitors can pursue a medical negligence claim* for any injuries suffered while in the care of the HSE.

Never events do happen in the HSE hospital to inpatients and outpatients, and in HSE care homes and mental health facilities.

Valerie Kearins medical negligence solicitors can work with you to make a claim against the HSE for the effects of a never event on your life.

Contact Valerie Kearins Solicitors Today

If you feel you have been the victim of medical negligence and you are considering filing a claim for compensation, feel free to get in touch with Valerie Kearins Solicitors for an assessment of your case.

What are the potential effects of never events?

The potential effects of a never event on your life can be severe injury, disability, and the need to spend even more time in hospital.

Vulnerable patients such as babies, elderly people, people with disabilities and mental health issues can suffer disproportionately from serious reportable events while in HSE care.

Potential effects of never events while under HSE care:

  • Severe illness due to taking an incorrect medication
  • Brain injury due to a lack of oxygen at birth
  • Internal organ damage from taking an incorrect medication
  • Broken limbs in a fall at a HSE care facility
  • Disability due to the incorrect care by the HSE
  • Nerve damage due to surgical errors
  • Sepsis due to the administration of the wrong antibiotic
  • Burns and scarring from injury due to HSE equipment failures
  • Pressure ulcers from lack of turning in a HSE care home
  • Death of a patient from the effects of poor HSE facility care

The effects of a never event can last for life. You could suffer severe injury or be unable to work and exercise before the medical negligence happened.

Valerie Kearins will work with you to form your medical negligence never event compensation claim.

Who can be at fault for never events in the HSE?

The medical professional treating you can be responsible for the never event medical negligence.

The HSE issues guidelines for all staff to follow to avoid never events from happening. All serious reportable events must be reported to patient management, and the correct steps taken to care for the patient.

Those who can be at fault for never events in the HSE:

  • The surgeon and surgical team
  • A&E staff on duty
  • HSE hospital maintenance teams
  • HSE management
  • Nursing staff in the outpatient departments
  • Maternity ward and delivery room staff
  • Chemotherapy ward staff
  • Healthcare facility staff
  • Child protection staff

Any member of the HSE hospital or outpatient staff may be responsible for a never event that causes injury to you. Ultimately, HSE management can be responsible for failing to implement guidelines and safeguards.

Valerie Kearins Solicitors know how to make a never event compensation claim against the HSE.

Compensation for a never event medical negligence claim*

Compensation for a never event medical negligence claim* in Ireland varies depending on the impact of the injury on your life and on your loved ones.

Age is a factor in medical negligence compensation claims**, and how much the injury will impact the life of the injured party, such as a child who could suffer for life. A compensation claim can vary too, depending on whether you are caring for others at home or are the primary earner in the household.

In many cases, the person who suffered medical negligence will need care for life and may need to make adaptations to the home.

Any compensation claim may also reflect your education and retraining needs if you cannot return to work, and the costs of live-in care in some cases.

Valerie Kearins medical negligence solicitors can make your claim for damages.

What are damages in a medical negligence claim*?

Damages in a medical negligence claim* are a combination of two types. For each set of damages, you seek compensation for the immediate effects of the medical negligence and the effects of it for life on both the patient and their family.

Damages in a Never Event medical negligence claim* are:

Special Damages in a Never Event medical negligence claim* are for the financial effects on you and your family for now and in the future.

With Special Damages, you may claim any:

  • Loss of earnings today and in the future
  • Care costs today and in the future 
  • Out-of-pocket expenses for the treatment of the injury

Your solicitor can help when making the full claim for Special Damages.

The General Damages in a Never Event medical negligence claim* are for the medical effects of the injury on you and your family.

General Damages may be claimed for:

  • Suffering for the injured party
  • A limited ability to live a normal life due to the injury
  • Unnecessary pain 
  • Discomfort to the injured patient 
  • Inconvenience caused by the never event injury

There are many types of general damages in a medical negligence claim*, and your solicitor can talk you through each one.

With Valerie Kearins Solicitors, you can claim damages for the medical negligence.

Contact Valerie Kearins Solicitors today

Contact Valerie Kearins Solicitors today to claim Never Event medical negligence compensation.

Our team of medical negligence experts can be with you from day one and support you fully when making your medical negligence compensation claim* against the HSE.

Contact Valerie Kearins today for all your Never Event medical negligence compensation needs.

Never Event Medical Negligence FAQs

You have two years to make a medical negligence claim* in Ireland.

For a child (a person under 18), their parents, guardians, or caregivers have until they turn 18 to make a medical negligence claim*.

If you only realise you suffered medical negligence after the two-year limit, you have a ‘Date of Discovery’ clause, which allows you to make the compensation claim from that date.

No, you do not need a solicitor to make a medical negligence claim*, but having one on your side could make all the difference to a successful claim.

The best medical negligence solicitor will know how to make a claim, how to bring it to the State Claims Agency and when to settle a compensation claim.

The State Claims Agency (SCA) is the official claims process for medical negligence claims* against the HSE in Ireland. The government established the agency to decide on medical negligence claims*.

A specialist medical negligence solicitor will know how to make a claim to the State Claims Agency.

A specialist medical negligence solicitor will have the experience and the expertise to make a compensation claim for Never Event medical negligence.

The specialist medical negligence solicitor will know every aspect of your case and what evidence to gather when making a claim in Ireland.

You will need evidence, such as medical records and doctor reports, when making a Never Event medical negligence claim*. 

Types of evidence to have in a Never Event claim:

  • A doctor’s report on the Never Event happening
  • A secondary doctor’s report on the impact of the medical negligence
  • A financial report on your costs and losses due to the Never Event
  • CCTV evidence from the HSE hospital or healthcare facility
  • A timeline of what happened when under the care of the HSE

The more evidence you can gather, the better it will be for your medical negligence compensation claim*.

Yes, you can make a Never Event negligence claim on behalf of a loved one. If a dependent or close family member died when in the care of the HSE or suffered severe injury, you can claim on their behalf.

Dependents in Never Event medical negligence claims* in Ireland can be:

  • The spouse of the victim of medical negligence
  • A parent 
  • A step-parent 
  • A grandparent 
  • A child 
  • A step-child 
  • An adult-dependent 
  • Family members who relied on the patient for care and financial support
  • A sister or brother 
  • A half-brother or sister 

Valerie Kearins Solicitors will know if you can make a medical negligence claim* for a Never Event.

Quick Contact

    Phone

    071 91 49799

    Email

    valerie@vkearinssolicitor.ie