High Court settlement for Gorey boy after heart condition missed before birth

A two-year-old County Wexford boy has received an interim High Court settlement of more than €1 million after a serious heart condition was not detected before he was born.

The Daily Mirror reports that the HSE admitted an ultrasound scan carried out at Wexford General Hospital in June 2023 was incomplete and failed to identify Ollie Roche’s complex congenital heart disease.

Ollie, whose parents Leonie Kinch and Sean Roche are from Gorey, was diagnosed when he was six weeks old.

His family was initially told surgery might be possible, but within 24 hours doctors advised that it was too late for an operation and that palliative care should be considered.

The HSE admitted that the failure to obtain a clear four-chamber view of Ollie’s heart fell below the expected standard of care and adversely affected his prospects of survival into early childhood.

Outside court, Ollie’s mother said the family continues to live with uncertainty but said the settlement meant her son had finally received justice.

The case is due to return to the High Court in 2029.