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The Health Service Executive Mid West confirms that a viral video showing verbal abuse of an elderly patient was not filmed at University Hospital Limerick, details the preliminary screening process, and stresses the need for confidentiality as investigations continue.
The Health Service Executive Mid West has issued a detailed update after a viral video showing an elderly woman being verbally abused by a health‑care worker was proven not to have been recorded at University Hospital Limerick.
The clip, which spread across social media platforms, appeared to show a staff member calling the patient crazy and refusing her request for a cup of tea. Public outrage prompted the HSE to launch an immediate inquiry, and the organisation has now confirmed that a preliminary screening of the incident has been completed and that further appropriate processes are under way under its Trust in Care policy.
The investigation was accelerated after a woman from Caherdavin, Limerick identified the patient in the video as her late mother, Ita Tobin, who had been an inpatient at University Hospital Limerick and had died in a nursing home in August 2025 following a diagnosis of dementia. She described the meeting with HSE officials as positive and said she felt the hospital took her concerns seriously.
Later that evening the HSE Mid West informed her that the footage had not been filmed at the university hospital and that her mother was not the individual depicted in the clip, a revelation that left her shocked and without further comment. In a fresh statement the HSE said it had made direct contact with the family of the patient shown in the video and that the family had requested privacy and confidentiality.
The spokesperson emphasised that the interaction captured in the footage is deeply upsetting and falls below the standard of compassionate, respectful and patient‑centred care that every patient is entitled to expect. While the HSE has not disclosed the identity of the staff member involved, it confirmed that the matter is being handled under the Trust in Care framework, which requires an immediate preliminary screening by the alleged staff member's line manager to determine whether an abusive interaction could have occurred.
The line manager must notify the staff member of the allegation and document the details of the suspected abuse. The HSE added that the hospital remains in contact with the family and will respect their request for full confidentiality, meaning that no further comment on the patient, staff member, hospital or service can be offered while the process continues.
The agency also highlighted the wider impact on staff across the Mid West region, noting that many health‑care workers have faced criticism, abuse and threats for an incident in which they had no involvement or responsibility. The spokesperson urged the public to avoid premature conclusions on social media and to allow the investigative process to run its course, reinforcing the commitment of HSE staff to patient safety despite the pressures of a busy August period
HSE Mid West Video Abuse Investigation University Hospital Limerick Patient Care Standards Trust In Care
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