Minister deflects on question of having confidence in management in UHL at time of Clare teen's death

THE MINISTER for Health has avoided voicing his confidence in the management who were in place at University Hospital Limerick at the time of teenager Aoife Johnston's death.

In an interview with Morning Ireland on RTÉ Radio 1 this Friday, when directly asked about his confidence in the current hospital management - who were also in place at the time of the 16-year-old's death - Stephen Donnelly pivoted and instead opted to highlight the appointment of a new regional executive officer, Sandra Broderick, whom he praised as "excellent" and someone he has confidence in. "I know she is on the ground, I know she is doing a good job," he stated.

However, his avoidance of explicitly endorsing the management in place at the time of Aoife Johnston's death raised questions.

Pressed further on whether this lack of explicit confidence suggested dissatisfaction with the management at the time of Aoife's death, Minister Donnelly acknowledged the need for reform in patient flow and patient management. 

He pointed to practices highlighted in the report on the tragic death of the student, citing concerns he had previously raised with the hospital. 

Aoife, who was from Shannon in Co Clare, passed away after a 12-hour wait in the UHL emergency department on December 19, 2022, having been diagnosed with bacterial meningitis and sepsis.

"When I read the report into the tragic death of Aoife Johnston, there were practices being followed in terms of rostering which I had personally raised with the hospital previously and asked to be changed, and on this weekend they certainly hadn't been changed," said the minister. "I welcome Bernard Gloster's accelerated appointment of the new regional executive officer."

Ms Broderick, who began her post on Monday, December 18, 2023, was parachuted into the role sooner than other members of staff, who are due to assume their new positions in March 2024. 

Commenting in December 2023 on the move to appoint Ms Broderick as chief executive of the HSE Mid-West health region before others, Mr Gloster, CEO of the HSE, said: "I have considered it is necessary at this time to proceed ahead of the changes in other regions and to make this intervention in the Mid-West."

When discussing infrastructural developments at UHL, specifically the construction of a new 96-bed unit and funding for the enabling works of a second 98-bed unit, the minister said: "[Looking] at the investment per hospital in the country over the recent years, the hospital that has had the single biggest investment is UHL."

In a breakdown, the minister confirmed that close to nearly 100 beds have been added since the government came to power. He added that 200 more beds will also be added. Regarding the budget, he stated that it has increased by nearly 20% and that the workforce has increased by a third, by more than a thousand people.

"We now have safe staffing fully funded in the wards in the emergency departments".

Questions have been raised over staffing levels on the weekend Aoife Johnston presented at the hospital with bacterial meningitis and sepsis.  

"Running the hospital using the practices we know work in places like Waterford, is going to finally provide people in that region with the urgent and emergency care services they need and haven't had for a very long time," he stated.

With new beds set to open, the Minister expressed dissatisfaction with the hospital's proposal to close existing wards. "What I want to see is the greatest number of beds available for patients in the Limerick region," the minister stated.

After the report detailing the internal review was published in December 2023, Damien Tansey, the solicitor representing the Johnston family, reiterated the announcement that the CEO of the HSE and the Minister for Health offered to meet the Johnston family.

In an interview with Morning Ireland on RTÉ Radio 1 this Thursday, the family's representative stated: "We certainly indicated our willingness to participate in that meeting, it hasn't moved beyond that point." He added: "We will attend as soon as a concrete invitation emerges".

In this morning's interview, Minister Donnelly confirmed that the meeting is now scheduled to take place "soon in Limerick," where he intends to address the family's concerns in person.