Aoife’s death should not have happened
Tanaiste calls for reform at hospital following tragedy
AOIFE Johnston’s death should “not have happened” and must lead to a review of care in the Limerick area, Tanaiste Micheal Martin has said.
The 16-year-old died in University Hospital Limerick in December 2022.
She was brought to UHL by her parents on December 17 after a GP told them he suspected she was deteriorating with sepsis.
Aoife waited 12 more hours for a doctor to examine her.
She waited more than 15 hours in total to receive antibiotics, which her inquest heard would likely have saved her.
The antibiotics she needed were readily available but because UHL was so short-staffed and overcrowded with patients, staff were delayed in giving them to her. Following four days of harrowing evidence at Aoife’s inquest, on Thursday Limerick Coroner John Mcnamara returned a verdict of medical misadventure in her death from meningitis after she contracted sepsis.
Mr Martin sympathised with Ms Johnston’s family yesterday, describing the situation as “absolutely devastating”.
He said: “In terms of the death of Aoife, it should not have happened.
“It is unquestionably a failure of care within the hospital.
“In my view, serious action has to take place. I think that there has been issues, in my view, around
governance structures in the hospital. There is a need for fundamental reform at the hospital, in respect of how things are organised.
“There’s been significant investment in the hospital above what would normally have happened in previous times and in staffing the hospital.
“How the hospital is organised and structured and how people are deployed at all levels, I think is key to responding properly to an unacceptable and devastating loss of life.
“All for the want of prescribing antibiotics for a sepsis situation.”
Mr Martin said he believes that there should be a “review” of healthcare in the “entire region”.
He denied that he was only calling for a review after Ms Johnston’s death, arguing that there had been engagement between UHL and the HSE.