Review team delivers NI hospice inquiry report

A major report into the strife-torn Northern Ireland Hospice was due to be delivered today.

A five-member independent review team, which was appointed by Britain's Department of Health, began its investigation into the embattled charity in January.

The review was established after members of the organisation asked health chiefs to intervene in a bitter internal dispute.

It examined the past and current management of the hospice with a view to making recommendations for the way forward.

Sir Graham Hart, a former British Permanent Secretary of the Department of Health in London and current chairman of the National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux, headed the review team.

It examined the organisation’s constitution, the concerns of staff members and volunteers, and the resources at the hospice.

The review team also examined the circumstances surrounding the suspension and dismissal of Tom Hill from the post of administrative director, and his subsequent appointment as chief executive.

The report was presented to Britain's health minister Angela Smith today, who will decide how to implement its findings.

The review team, which completed the exercise within the original six-month timeframe, comprised four other members: They were:

:: Richard Fries, former Chief Charity Commissioner in England and Wales.

:: Alison Norman, former president of the UK Central Council of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting.

:: Dr Rhian Owen, a consultant in palliative care medicine at the Princess of Wales Hospital in Glamorgan.

:: Martin Pfleger, deputy auditor general in Britain's National Audit Office.