University Hospital Limerick A&E is much safer now, HSE claims

The HSE is reassuring the public about University Hospital Limerick

Following an inquest into the death of teenager, Aoife Johnston, the HSE issued a statement about the girl's untimely passing.

Last week, the inquest confirmed she died because of medical misadventure.

Speaking to RTÉ's This Week programme, the HSE Chief Executive said the hospital is safer now.

During the inquest, one doctor claimed that it was "still a death trap," but Gloster shut down those claims.

He said the hospital is a safer place than it was on the night of Aoife Johnston's untimely passing.

He told RTÉ: "Many other steps have been taken to improve safety, so I would take issue with the description of it today.

"But I do understand the concern that people have against the backdrop of the very traumatic week that the public experienced. Our job is to work to build people’s confidence and safety assurance in the hospital," he added.

He believes all staff working in University Hospital Limerick and the HSE "has a role to play in rebuilding the public confidence and in ensuring that we are honest with people about the pressures we have, and we have pressures".

Gloster confirmed that since Aoife's death, they have addressed a "substantial amount" of very significant safety indicators. He stressed that this has helped "make the department more safe".

Aoife Johnston sadly passed away from bacterial meningitis on December 19th, 2022. She was only 16 years old.

The teenager waited for 12 hours in the overcrowded emergency department after being referred there with suspected sepsis by her GP.

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