The Leitrim teenager who missed out an a vital liver transplant earlier this year because of transport problems, before undergoing the operation last month, has arrived back in Ireland.

Meadhbh McGivern (14) missed out an a transplant last July because no adequate transport could be found to bring her to London for the operation in the narrow timeframe available.

A subsequent probe by the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) into this transportation failure found that there was no organised or managed system to perform the transport successfully.

It said that a key factor behind the failed patient transfer was that nobody was in charge or accountable for the process. A number of different bodies, including the HSE, the Air Corps, the Department of Transport and the Coast Guard, were involved in the attempted airlift of the patient.

However, last month, the teenager again received a call to say a liver was available. Transport was immediately arranged to bring her from Baldonnel Aerodrome to London's Heathrow Airport. She was then brought to King's College Hospital where she underwent an almost 14-hour surgery.

The teenager, who suffered from progressive liver disease, was flown back to Baldonnel Aerodrome on Monday evening, before being brought to Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children in Crumlin, where she is still recovering.

Previously, her parents had expressed concern that she would have to fly home on a commercial plane, despite the potential danger of this to her immune system. However, Ms McGivern was flown home on an Air Corps jet.