LAST UPDATE | 13 Feb 2023

THE HSE HAS launched a review after an 87-year-old woman who went missing from a hospital in Carlow was found dead yesterday morning.

The woman was an inpatient at the town’s district hospital but left by walking out on her own on Saturday afternoon.

She was reported as missing and a search operation was launched by gardaí yesterday morning.

The search, which included members of the the Civil Defence and volunteers, concluded shortly after with the discovery of the woman’s body.

In a statement this morning, the HSE and South East Community Healthcare paid respects to the woman and said the incident would be examined by its Serious Incident Management Team.

These teams, which are made up of each region’s senior nursing and clinical figures, review all serious incidents arising in a medical facility and also meet when a ‘major’ or ‘extreme’ incident has severely affected a patient or staff member.

“The HSE/South East Community Healthcare wishes to extend its deepest condolences to the family, relatives and friends of the deceased, following the standing down yesterday of an Urgent Missing Persons Search in the Carlow Town area,” the HSE said in its statement.

“The HSE would like to thank the Gardai, our own staff, Civil Defence and others who assisted in the search.”

“The HSE has established its own Serious Incident Management Team and is conducting a review.

“Our thoughts are with the family at this time,” the statement concluded.

With reporting from Eoghan Dalton and Garreth MacNamee