Nurses were afraid to raise concerns about Dr Neary

AN inquiry into a Drogheda maternity unit where an inordinately high number of women had their wombs removed is expected to reveal nurses were afraid to raise their concerns with senior medical staff.

A draft copy of the report of the Lourdes Inquiry also questions the failure of management to query the high number of hysterectomies carried out by disgraced obstetrician Michael Neary.

Dr Neary was struck off by the Irish Medical Council (IMC) in July 2003 after being found guilty of professional misconduct over the unnecessary removal of the wombs of 13 women at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital. Dr Neary had worked at the hospital for more than 20 years.

The draft report, a copy of which will be presented to the Cabinet on Tuesday, found nurses and midwives felt it was not acceptable for them to report Dr Neary.

The report states: “It was inconceivable that a nurse or midwife at the Lourdes Hospital would dream of questioning the clinical judgment of a consultant.

“It was not part of their training and they were unhappy at that concept that they should be expected to question a consultant and especially one of the stature of Dr Neary.”

Within this group of concerned nurses and midwives was a smaller group “who were unhappy, but had grown used to not being listened to”, according to the draft report.

“They mentioned their concerns to each other, but believed that, as the matron and her assistant were aware from the day sheets of the hysterectomies, they were the appropriate persons to do something. They believed that matron had discussed the matter with the medical director and that everyone was aware.”

The Lourdes Inquiry draft report says staff were not confident about challenging Dr Neary because they were not confident there was anything wrong with what he was doing. One of the reasons for this was the failure of other staff to raise any concerns.

The report of the Lourdes Inquiry, presided over by Judge Maureen Harding Clark, is expected to reveal that around 160 Caesarean hysterectomies were performed at the hospital between 1974 and 1998, of which Dr Neary carried out around 110.

It is also expected to reveal that the medical records of a number of patients were deliberately removed from the hospital.