Sick to my stomach over teen’s death at overcrowded hospital
»»‘Heartbroken’ mum’s anger at trolley backlog »»21-year-old Eve also passed away at Limerick facility
THE mother of a woman who died in hospital has called on the Health Minister to fix overcrowding after the death of another young person there.
Melanie Sheehan Cleary whose daughter Eve, 21, died in University Hospital Limerick in 2019, said she was “sick to my stomach” after learning about another a preliminary assessment into the circumstances around the death of a 16-year old girl three weeks ago.
Aoife Johnston, from Shannon, Co Clare, spent 12 hours on a trolley as meningitis in her body developed into fatal sepsis at the same hospital.
The girl, whose death on January 29 is subject of a review by the HSE/UL Hospitals Group, was reportedly initially admitted to a Resuscitation area at UHL but deemed well enough to be transferred to a trolley in a corridor prior to her death in Resus after she was brought back into the unit in a critical condition.
On the day the girl died, UHL was the most overcrowded hospital nationally with 113 patients on trolleys in corridors and other areas of the emergency department and wards.
Commenting on the revelation that another inquiry is under way into the death of a second young female, Ms Sheehan Cleary said: “It is just heartbreaking. I can’t believe it, it’s clear that we are all taking our chances now by going into UHL, the overcrowding there is beyond anything we have ever seen.”
UHL was also overcrowded with trolleys on the day Eve Cleary died in the early hours of
We are all taking our chances now by going into UHL
MS SHEEHAN CLEARY YESTERDAY
July 21, 2019.
She spent 17 hours on a trolley before her death from cardiac arrest due to her developing blood clots.
Eve’s family and the HSE reached a High Court settlement without any admission of liability last month.
Following the settlement UHL expressed its “sincere condolences and deep regret” over Eve’s death.
Asking Minister Donnelly to intervene, Ms Sheehan Cleary called on UHL management to consider their positions, adding: “I feel as if the whole management team should step down.” Minister Donnelly has said he has allocated millions of euro to try to alleviate overcrowding and recruit staff at UHL.
Ms Sheehan Cleary said: “Where is the money going?
“Is it being used to pay out to families of patients who have died, where is it going, that’s what I would like to know.”
Ms Sheehan Cleary said she is waiting to meet with HSE boss Bernard Gloster to hear the conclusion of a review of Eve’s case.