Six people are facing disciplinary action over the circumstances surrounding the death of 16-year-old Aoife Johnston at University Hospital Limerick in December 2022, the Chief Executive of the HSE has confirmed.
Ms Johnston died at UHL on Monday 19 December 2022, two days after presenting at the emergency department with symptoms of suspected sepsis.
On Friday, a long-awaited report by former chief justice Frank Clarke into her death was published by the HSE.
The report found that doctors and nurses at the emergency department were unaware of her sepsis risk, and because of overcrowding, she was sent to the wrong part of the emergency department where sepsis forms were not kept or filled out.
Responding to what happened, HSE CEO Bernard Gloster said: "We can never tire of saying we failed Aoife, we failed her badly, our failure caused her death", and that the issue is "a question of accountability."
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Read more: A story of systematic failures and missed opportunities
Asked how many people are facing disciplinary measures over the circumstances leading to Ms Johnston's death, Mr Gloster said: "At this point in time six people are the subject of various considerations in the disciplinary process" and that four are on administrative leave.
Mr Gloster defended the decision not to name any of these individuals in the report and said they must be allowed a fair hearing in any future measures.
He also said that "I don't believe quite frankly it's necessary" to have a new inquiry into what happened, as "I don't believe it will tell us anything different and I don't believe it will enable any greater accountability than that already being pursued".
Asked if in his opinion University Hospital Limerick is now "safe", Mr Gloster said: "Safer, and that's what I say in every part of the health service.
"I think there is that risk there, but I think that risk is less. I think the risk is mitigated, and I think it's increasingly mitigated."
"I have concerns arising out of Frank Clarke's report around the systems in which the emergency department operates around the hospital. Every step is being taken to make it safer, and safer is what I continue to pursue," he added.
