An inquiry has been ordered into the sudden death of a teenage girl at University Hospital Limerick. 

The 16-year-old’s death has been classified as Category 1 Incident by the HSE, which means it is considered an event that was “major or extreme”.

Speaking on The Pat Kenny Show, Medical Independent Clinical Editor Priscilla Lynch said the teenager passed away only three weeks ago.

“She died on January 28th, a day that, again, the hospital was the busiest in the country with 113 patients on trolleys,” Ms Lynch said.

“While we don’t know the full details of this case, or the name of the patient, it’s been reported that she was rushed to the hospital suffering from breathing difficulties and was in the hospital [as] her condition deteriorated.”

Ms Lynch said overcrowding at UHL has become a major issue in recent years and there have been calls for urgent action.

“The situation hasn’t improved in Limerick, it’s actually deteriorated in the last couple of years,” she said.

“This is despite there being significant investment.”

Aoife Johnston

Notably, 16-year-old Aoife Johnston died at the hospital in December 2022 after a 12 hour wait for care.

Ms Johnston had been suffering from bacterial meningitis and then developed sepsis.

Ms Lynch said the death of the teenager last month seemed to be a cae of history tragically repeating itself.

“It sounds similar, in a way, to what perhaps happened in the Aoife Johnston case - and in other cases actually at the hospital,” she said.

“Where a patient has been admitted to the Emergency Department… and, unfortunately, died and there is now an investigation to see could the care have been done better? Could things have been done differently at the time?

“We don’t know the answers to that but there has been a preliminary look at her case and the HSE has decided that that warrants that there should be an internal inquiry.”

16-year-old Aoife Johnston died from meningitis in University Hospital in Limerick last year after waiting hours to be treated.

An internal investigation by the HSE into Ms Johnston’s death has already concluded but CEO Bernard Gloster has decided further information about her death is needed.

“That [internal investigation] found that overcrowding in the hospital was endemic and that there didn’t seem to be enough awareness among senior management at the hospital of the situation with the overcrowding,” Ms Lynch said.

“There was an inadequate staff roster that particular weekend; it was an incredibly busy weekend on the day that she died.

“There is now an external investigation going to take place, an independent one, that’s going to be chaired by former Chief Justice Frank Clark.”

In a statement to Newstalk, UHL said they had expressed their condolence to the family following their child's death.

"We can confirm that a preliminary assessment has been carried out in line with the HSE Incident Management Framework," a spokesperson said.

"This is our normal practice where a sudden death occurs in our care. The findings from this assessment will be shared with the family pending the results of a post-mortem examination.

"We are in direct contact with the family on these matters and it would be inappropriate to comment further"

Main image: University Hospital Limerick. Ireland