'Nothing has changed at University Hospital Limerick since my daughter Eve died'

Melanie Sheehan and Barry Cleary, parents of Eve Cleary, holding a framed photograph of their daughter, Eve.

A mother whose daughter died at University Hospital Limerick (UHL) after spending 17 hours on a trolley has said she will “never again” bring any of her other five children to the hospital’s emergency department.

Melanie Sheehan’s 21-year-old daughter Eve Cleary died in UHL in 2019 and the distraught mother has said it appears “nothing has changed” at the hospital since.

Record high levels of overcrowding in the hospital last Monday led to management declaring a major emergency in the ED where 170 patients waited for treatment.

Ms Sheehan’s late daughter’s trolley was located next to a sink which had been used as a toilet by another patient.

“When you are just hours away from death, which was the reality of Eve’s case, there was no blanket or pillow for her in the ED. I dread to think about elderly patients left there,” said Ms Sheehan.

“I understand there are a shortage of beds, but this is happening time and time again, year, after year, after year.”

 Eve Cleary died in UHL in 2019.

 Her message to the government is: “Listen to us here in Limerick and intervene to do something to stop anybody else dying.

“These are our children and our parents that go out there, but I will never give UHL one of my children ever again to look after, because I trusted them to look after Eve, and I believed them when they said she was ok — but she wasn’t.

“I would rather bring them to Galway if I have to. Why are the government not intervening?

 “It’s now 2023 and how people are left in those conditions is beyond me — what the hell is going on out there? 

Why aren’t politicians screaming for us here in Limerick, and why is it up to the victims of UHL to always shout about it — that is what I refer to our family — we are victims of them (UHL).

Aoife Johnson death

 “Enough is enough now, this has to end.” 

Ms Sheehan said when she heard about the death of UHL patient Aoife Johnston  on December 19 last after the 16-year-old reportedly had spent up to 16 hours on a trolley in the Limerick ED, it felt like she had received “a kick in my stomach”.

“When I heard about it, I thought ‘oh my god’, it literally broke me — to think that another mother and siblings and her poor dad are walking now in the same path we have to walk — it’s horrific,” Ms Sheehan offered.

The Taoiseach Leo Varadkar welcomed confirmation from the UL Hospitals Group that an inquiry into Ms Johnston’s death will take place and that it will be chaired by someone who is external to the hospital group.

However, Ms Sheehan said she believed the health authorities “have learned nothing from Eve’s death”.

Ms Sheehan helps voluntarily run the Mid-West Hospital Campaign, which set up a social media platform to get support to “improve our hospital service”.

“Eve’s death will be with us for the rest of our lives, and this is why I am involved in the hospital campaign, so that I feel like I am doing something to make sure Eve is not forgotten.

We see her friends and we wonder about Eve, and I’ll never see her get married or have children, it literally guts me.

Eve was sent home from UHL critically unwell and my other children were left to look at that and deal with it.” She acknowledged a lack of beds and staff at UHL are big factors in the hospital overcrowding crisis, but she argues that the HSE and government have known about the issues for years.

“The conditions in there are unsafe. They knew the winter surge was coming but this isn't just a winter problem. When Eve was there three years ago the trolleys were backed up in the ED, and you could not walk between them.

 “There was a man on a trolley behind Eve, and he was bleeding out of his nose and Eve was getting me to help him to get to the bathroom because she couldn't get up, and there was no one to help, the patients were literally cramped in together.” 

Ms Sheehan and her legal representatives have lodged civil proceedings against the HSE in respect of Eve’s death.  However, a date for the hearing has yet to be confirmed.

A verdict of medical misadventure was recorded at Eve’s inquest which was held in 2021.

Ms Sheehan urged people to attend a demonstration march organised for 11am in Limerick City on January 21st to highlight overcrowding at UHL.

“Every person in the mid west region should be standing up and say this is wrong — we need better healthcare, we all deserve better,” she said.