Family say waiting for report into teen's death at UHL prolonged their grief

A GRIEF-STRICKEN relative of Aoife Johnston, 16, who passed away on a trolley at University Hospital Limerick has said that receiving a report into her death “just shy of her one-year anniversary was very disappointing”.

The report, which is a review into Aoife’s death in December 2022, was due to be completed in March 2023, but was only received by her family earlier this month.

Commissioned in January 2023 by Prof Brian Lenehan, chief clinical director, UL Hospitals Group, the report was completed by an expert HSE team external to UL Hospitals Group.

“The main thing now is that we have [it],” stated the family member.

The sixth-year student, pictured above, from Cronan Lawn in Shannon, Co Clare passed away on Monday, December 19, 2022 after contracting meningitis, and later sepsis, having gone untreated.

According to the Irish Independent, referring to the unpublished review, there were delays in her treatment which ultimately breached the national guidelines on sepsis management.

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A statement released to the Limerick Leader, said that HSE CEO, Bernard Gloster, has offered to meet her family privately.

A spokesperson for the HSE said: “We have this week shared with the family the review into the tragic death of their daughter.

“We have apologised to them for the serious failings in the care we provided to their daughter which have been identified in the review.

“The review has been referred to the Coroner who has yet to make a determination in the case.”

The statement continued: “[Mr Bernard Gloster] is willing to meet the family privately should they wish to do so but it is a matter for the family to decide if and when they might like to do this.

“We wish to extend our sincere condolences to the family following their devastating loss.”

The Irish Independent reports that Aoife presented to the emergency department after 5pm on Saturday, December 17, was triaged two hours later, with sepsis being considered as a possibility.

They report she was left to wait in the emergency department for 12 hours until she finally received an emergency medical review at 6am.

It is said that Aoife’s condition deteriorated at a time where there were issues of severe overcrowding in the hospital.

At her funeral Mass last December, Aoife was described as a “unique” and “bubbly” young woman.

The Limerick Leader previously reported that two people had received her organs, giving two other families a precious gift through her untimely death.