Orin McBride inquest: Coroner says care was 'appropriate'

Orin died at the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children in June 2015

An inquest into the death of a 14-year-old boy at the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children has found that the care given to him was "appropriate and in the best interest of the child".

Orin McBride, from Londonderry, died from pancreatitis in June 2015.

His mother, Majella McBride, previously said that she did not give doctors permission to switch off life support.

However, Coroner Patrick Mr McGurgan said medics were in no doubt "that Ms McBride understood what was happening".

• Inquest told 'everything was done' for boy

In September, Dr Andras Szbo, lead clinician of the multi disciplinary team treating Orin, told the inquest that he believed everything possible had been done for his patient and that in hindsight there was nothing he would do differently.

Dr Szbo said: "Orin, who had a complex medical history including hydrocephalus, epilepsy and autism, had been admitted to the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children in February 2015 for a 10-week period, which included four weeks in the paediatric intensive care unit when the pancreatitis was discovered."

Orin was admitted to Altnagelvin Hospital before being transferred to Belfast

After treatment Orin was discharged but was readmitted to the intensive care unit on 19 June after his condition started to deteriorate again.

Orin's condition continued to worsen and on 28 June a decision was made by the medics on duty to turn off life support to the boy and he died a short time later in his mother Majella's arms.

'Emotive inquest'

Dr Szbo told told the court in September that he believed Orin's treatment was "appropriate and in accordance with recommended guidelines" and if the situation arose today Orin "would be treated in the same way".

When delivering his findings on Friday in Belfast, Coroner McGurgan said "this is a difficult, complex and emotive inquest".

He went on to pay tribute to Ms McBride adding that "every witness that came into contact with Ms McBride paid tribute to her dedication to Orin".

Ms McBride wept and shook her head throughout the findings.