Nurses seek protection for whistleblowers

The two main nurses’ unions have called for clear guidelines for whistleblowers in the health sector in the wake of the Michael Neary report.

The former obstetrician had carried out 129 hysterectomies at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda before the alert was raised in 1998 by a midwife concerned that many of the procedures were unnecessary. This was subsequently confirmed.

Unions have claimed midwives could have stepped in to stop the obstetrician from removing women's wombs if a culture of silence had not existed.

The Unions want a culture shift to enable health workers of all grades to report wrong-doing.

Formal procedures and protections should be introduced, according to Paul Bell spokesperson for Siptu’s nursing branch.

"We don’t want a snitching culture because that would only create paranoia but we want a protocol where people who believe there is serious misconduct or serious issues relating to patient care can report those matters in a safe environment," he said.

Genuine intervention to prevent malpractice must get priority, according to Liam Doran of the Irish Nurses Organisation

"If someone make a mischievous complaint they should be penalised, but the patient comes first. We've got to create a culture where people with genuine concerns can come forward without fear and have those concerns examined," he said.