A woman has apologised after mistakenly claiming that a disturbing video of a healthcare worker taunting a female patient featured her late mother.

Aisling Hogan spoke out as the HSE confirmed the footage, which went viral last week, didn’t involve Ms Hogan’s mother Ita Tobin and was not filmed in University Hospital Limerick (UHL).

In a new statement yesterday evening, a HSE spokeswoman said ‘direct contact’ had been made with the real family of the patient in the video ‘and a meeting has taken place’.

Ms Hogan, of Caherdavin, Limerick, had initially gone public in seeking answers from the HSE, claiming the female patient in the video was her dementia-suffering parent, Ita Tobin, 83.

But speaking on Sunday night, Ms Hogan said she had been informed by the HSE that the patient was not Ms Tobin.

In a statement posted on Facebook on Sunday, Ms Hogan said: ‘I am deeply sorry for getting this wrong. ‘When I first saw the video, myself and my family genuinely and wholeheartedly believed the woman (patient) was our mother. We wholeheartedly apologise for the upset caused.’

After Ms Hogan went public last week, HSE Mid West said it was investigating the matter. It described the footage as ‘deeply concerning’ and said the ‘behaviour depicted’ in the video was ‘wholly unacceptable’.

On Sunday, it confirmed the video was not recorded in UHL or any HSE Mid West facility. HSE Mid West added that some staff had been subjected to ‘criticism, abuse and threats’ over the video.

In a statement yesterday evening, a HSE spokeswoman said the footage was ‘deeply upsetting’ and that the real family of the patient ‘have requested that their privacy and the confidentiality be respected’.

The HSE did not clearly state that it had identified the healthcare worker in the video footage; however, the spokeswoman confirmed: ‘The matter is being managed under the HSE’s Trust in Care policy. A preliminary screening has been completed, and the appropriate processes are under way.’