Harris 'can’t imagine' grief of Aoife Johnston's family as Sinn Féin calls for more UHL beds

Simon Harris: 'I can’t imagine their pain, their grief, their loss in terms of the loss of a daughter, the loss of a sister and the pain they’re living with every day.' Picture: Sam Boal/Collins

Taoiseach Simon Harris has said that he cannot imagine the pain and grief experienced by the family of 16-year-old Aoife Johnston, who died at University Hospital Limerick in 2022.

Mr Harris expressed his “deepest sympathies” to Ms Johnston's family and said he would refrain from commenting further due to the ongoing inquest.

“I can’t imagine their pain, their grief, their loss in terms of the loss of a daughter, the loss of a sister and the pain they’re living with every day,” Mr Harris said.

The Taoiseach was responding to Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald, who raised the ongoing inquest and described the current state of UHL as a “crisis”.

“This is a hospital operating at permanent surge capacity and the surge is every single day. UHL is in a constant state of emergency, because it simply does not have the level of staff or beds it needs to deal with demand,” Ms McDonald said.

She called for a further 200 staff to be recruited to the hospital, alongside the delivery of a further 288 beds.

Aoife Johnston.

Mr Harris said that a report on Ms Johnston's death from former chief justice Frank Clarke would be completed by the end of May.

While there is a "very serious situation" at UHL, Mr Harris said there are legitimate questions to be asked given recent investments at the hospital.

The Taoiseach said that there had been a further 1,100 staff appointed to UHL since 2019, and record numbers of emergency department consultants.

“It isn’t a lack of budget. It isn’t a lack of willingness to do more, but there is also a need to ask about it,” Mr Harris said.

“When you’re putting that amount of additional investment into a hospital, why are we not seeing the improvements for patients.”