Parents of teen who died in UHL ‘begged for help’

AOIFE JOHNSTON'S parents told the Limerick Coroner's Court that they "watched their daughter die".

The 16-year-old died in University Hospital Limerick (UHL) on December 19, 2022.

Today is the first day of what is expected to be a four-day inquest at Kilmallock Courthouse. 

Aoife’s family - her parents Carol and James and two sisters Meagan and Kate, brought photos of Aoife into the courtroom, which were put on display before the hearing started, with one of her sister’s saying ‘we want everyone to see Aoife’.

Two letters of apology were also read into the record, one from HSE CEO Bernard Gloster and another from Colette Cowan of the UL Hospital Group. Both acknowledged the huge loss for the Johnston family and the failings of the hospital in Aoife’s care. 

Bernard Gloster’s letter said; ‘We, the HSE, failed Aoife when she attended the emergency department.” 

Colette Cowan’s letter said that she regrets the “opportunities missed to intervene” and said that lessons will be learned from this tragedy. 

The court heard that on December 17, 2022, Aoife woke up in good form, had a shower and went to her room, before feeling unwell around noon. 

She took two paracetamol and went back to bed, before starting to vomit around 3.30pm. 

Aoife’s father James brought her to ShannonDoc just before 5pm and they were referred onto UHL, after Dr Mdumiseni in ShannonDoc said she might have sepsis. 

James told the court that when she was in the hospital, his daughter’s skin became blotchy, she had severe pain in her legs and was vomiting bright green liquid. 

“I continually begged for help,” he said. 

“I was up and down to the nurses station all night, pleading with them to help my daughter,” he added. 

Aoife’s mother Carol told the court; “Aoife was screaming in agony with pain in her right leg and head. I heard people outside on the trolleys asking the nurses and doctors to help Aoife.”

READ MORE: Inquest to begin into death of teenager in University Hospital Limerick

At 6am the next morning, on December 18, 2022, when they were reviewed by a doctor, they were told Aoife would be treated as if she had meningitis. 

She then deteriorated very quickly and was no longer able to communicate, before being put into an induced coma due to swelling on her brain. 

“Aoife was moved to ICU. Following a number of scans, we were advised that there was nothing that could be done to save Aoife,” he told the court. 

Aoife died at 3.31pm on December 19, 2022.