'I wish I'd taken my father out of UHL,' says Cork woman

Karina Leahy described how her father, Patrick ‘Pa’ Leahy from Charleville, died unexpectedly in June 2023 at UHL

Karina Leahy described on Virgin Media's documentary 'UHL: Ireland's Hospital Crisis' how her father, Patrick ‘Pa’ Leahy from Charleville in north Cork, died unexpectedly in June 2023 at UHL. Photo via Virgin Media

The daughter of a man who spent three weeks at University Hospital Limerick but was only diagnosed with cancer shortly before dying has said he was failed at every step.

A documentary shown on Virgin Media on Monday night comes in the wake of a scathing report into the death of teenager Aoife Johnston at the hospital, by former Chief Justice Frank Clarke.

Despite pledges to alleviate overcrowding in the wake of her death, Monday saw 81 patients without a bed, according to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation. HSE data showed 21 patients waiting longer than 24 hours by Monday morning, which included eight people aged over 75 years.

Karina Leahy described how her father, Patrick ‘Pa’ Leahy from Charleville in north Cork, died unexpectedly in June 2023 at UHL.

“Over a three-week period he was consistently and progressively deteriorating, which just blows my mind that none of his care was escalated to the right people,” she said.

She explained: 

The right treatment wasn’t provided at the right time, he was failed at every step. I wish, so much, that I had taken him out of there.

He spent two days on a trolley before being admitted despite being “so unwell”, she said.

“At that point we knew he was internally bleeding, so we thought surely he would be brought up to a ward. But no, there were no beds,” she said.

Ms Leahy said he was only moved to a high dependency unit after weeks on a ward. This was when a scan revealed he had cancer.

Melanie Cleary spoke about the traumatic death of her daughter Eve in 2019 hours after being sent home from UHL. Now an advocate with the MidWest Hospital Campaign, she said: “I just wish they had listened and learned from our beautiful Eve’s death.

Eve Cleary died in 2019 hours after being sent home from UHL. Photo via Virgin Media

“Because if they had maybe other people might still be alive today. And maybe if they had listened before Eve, maybe Eve would still be here today.” 

She said despite frequent requests Health Minister Stephen Donnelly has never met her. Ms Cleary will run as an Independent candidate for the Dáil.

Dr Michelle O’ Connor, a GP in Newcastle West, said: “I have patients who would specifically refuse to go to Limerick because they’ve had bad experiences.” 

She pointed out UHL provides the only ED for a population of 400,000 which is unique in Ireland.

Mary Fogarty, INMO Assistant Director of Industrial Relations, linked the crisis to the “mistake” made in 2009 when smaller local hospitals were downgraded without extra supports provided to UHL.

Recommendations

Mr Clarke’s report made 17 recommendations which are now under consideration by the HSE, chief clinical officer Dr Colm Henry told the Irish Examiner earlier this month in unpublished comments.

Work has started to see how these apply “not just to Limerick but to other sites”, he said. These include guidelines around sepsis, he said, and the issue of availability of consultants in the emergency department.

While there have been calls for anyone suspected to have sepsis, as Ms Johnston did, to be given antibiotics, he cautioned this would lead to antibiotic resistance.

“If we were to do that, it would lead to a significant and inappropriate use of antibiotics,” he said. “It would cause greater harm.” 

Construction continues at UHL with an additional bed-block to open in June although this will still leave the site short of numbers recommended in 2008.