Family of Aoife Johnston calls for report into death to be published immediately

Aoife Johnston's family outside the Coroners' Court in April.  Picture: Brendan Gleeson

The family of a 16-year-old girl who died at University Hospital Limerick (UHL) almost two years ago has said a major report into her death must be published immediately.

Aoife Johnston, from Co Clare, died on December 19, 2022, at UHL after suffering from meningitis-related sepsis and was left for more than 16 hours without antibiotics — a vital treatment to help save her life.

Aoife Johnston, 16, from Shannon, Co Clare, died in UHL on December 19, 2022. Picture: File

An inquest held earlier this year gave a verdict of medical misadventure. An investigation into her death has also been completed by former chief justice Frank Clarke.

Speaking on RTÉ’s Drivetime programme, family solicitor Damien Tansey said the Johnston family considers the report into her death to be “superficial”. They accused the HSE of failing their family again.

Mr Tansey said there were “significant limitations and restrictions” on Mr Clarke’s mandate when conducting the report.

The solicitor also said there was an “inability for Mr Clarke to make findings of fact” or to make “adverse findings”.

Mr Tansey said the report should be published without redactions and that the family had written to the HSE chief executive to say they would make the report public if the HSE does not.

Calls to publish the report were echoed by the Irish Hospital Consultants Association.

“Its full publication, in consultation with the Johnston family, is an important next step," a spokesperson said. 

Following the inquest verdicts, the HSE CEO Bernard Gloster apologised to Ms Johnston’s family.

HSE CEO Bernard Gloster apologised to Aoife Johnston’s family. Picture: Arthur Ellis

“On behalf of the HSE, I, again, would like to express our heartfelt sympathy to Aoife’s family and friends for the pain and suffering they experienced because of Aoife’s death while in our care,” he said.

"I want to take this opportunity to restate for the record today our unequivocal apology to them, conscious that no words of mine will take away their pain.” 

In that same statement, he said that once he received the Clarke report, he would consider the next steps.

In response to Mr Tansey’s appearance on Drivetime, the HSE said that it urged him to engage with it to discuss the publication of the report.

When it came to publishing the report, the HSE said that Mr Gloster had committed to doing so in an appropriate format which takes into account the HSE’s obligations to all parties involved.

It added that the report would be published later this month in a responsible and lawful format.