The parents of Eve Cleary, who died in University Hospital Limerick six years ago are to ask the health minister for an apology over the death when they meet her on Wednesday.
It is the first time a health minister has met Melanie and Barry Cleary, who went through hospital reviews, an inquest and the High Court to find out what happened to their daughter.
Melanie said: “We’ve been fighting for years for Eve. I’m looking for vindication for Eve and for my children, and an apology.”
There was disagreement at the High Court in January last year as to whether an apology offered by a senior UHL doctor within days of Eve’s death was an apology or an expression of sorrow.
“We want the minister and UHL to apologise, we want the apology for Eve’s death,” she said.
“It does make a difference. The apology 10 days after her death was very sincere and they took that away.”
Eve Cleary was just 21 when she died in July 2019.
She is grateful to HSE chief executive Bernard Gloster for his help but said they want something more meaningful.
“We wanted an investigation like what Aoife Johnston’s family had for Eve,” she said.
She added: “Jennifer Carroll MacNeill is the third minister for health since Eve’s death, she is the first to agree to meet us.”
Eve was just 21 when she died in July 2019, just over three hours after her discharge from UHL and two days after she fell and hurt her leg and went to the UHL emergency department, where she spent 17 hours on a trolley in a corridor before getting a bed.
This summer, the HSE named the Eve Protocol for treatment of venous thromboembolism after her. She is the only patient to have this done.
On Tuesday, 113 patients were without a bed at UHL, the highest nationally, the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation count showed. “It’s just terrible, it’s so busy in there,” Ms Cleary said.
She is aware of other bereaved families who would also like to state their case.
“I really do think [the minister] should come and meet all the families in Limerick,” she said.
She is now a member of a new patient advocacy committee under HSE Midwest. Ms Cleary welcomed this as a positive move. She attended its first meeting this month.
“They are trying to change, but it is not enough yet,” she said on Tuesday.
The grieving mother has met with Sandra Broderick, regional executive officer for the region, and Ian Carter, integrated healthcare area manager, Acute and Older Person Services.
She had sought meetings with the previous chief executive Colette Cowan to no avail, she said.