Harris urges HSE to interview whistleblower over Waterford nursing home death 

Former health minister Simon Harris said he was 'very concerned' at an Irish Examiner report that a healthcare assistant had not been interviewed, almost four years after making a protected disclosure to the HSE. File picture: Sam Boal / RollingNews.ie

Former health minister Simon Harris has urged the HSE to "establish the facts" in the case of a woman's care at a Waterford nursing home, and to interview a whistleblower who claimed staff neglected the patient in the weeks leading up to her death.

Mr Harris said he was "very concerned" at an Irish Examiner report that a healthcare assistant had not been interviewed, almost four years after making a protected disclosure to the HSE.

This is despite the forming in 2020 of an internal review panel to investigate the complaint, with terms of reference for the investigation also set that same year.

The whistleblower was working at a HSE-run nursing home in Waterford in late 2015 when a patient — a woman aged in her early 90s — had a rapid deterioration in her health over five weeks, suffering severe dehydration and emaciation.

It is alleged this occurred because the woman was neglected by other staff.

The woman died shortly after being rushed to hospital and a protected disclosure was lodged with the HSE, which declined to comment, in May 2018 by the healthcare assistant. The HSE has limited updates to the whistleblower, citing she is not next of kin to the deceased.

Family members of the patient have also made a complaint which is ongoing, it is understood.

Mr Harris said it was important for the HSE to now carry out the investigation.

"It's in everybody's interest when issues are brought forward for facts to be established as quickly as possible and it would certainly seem surprising if that was not the case," he said.

I think it's always in the interests of any protected disclosure that action is taken very swiftly and that process is followed quickly. I would certainly hope and expect that would happen in all cases."

Mr Harris, who was in Waterford visiting its institute of technology, said he was not aware of the facts of the issues and added: "But anything to suggest [the process] is not being followed, if that was the case, would be very concerning."

The handling of the disclosure has been highlighted by Fianna Fáil TD John McGuinness, who has accused the HSE of trying to "brush away" the complaint by not completing the investigation.

He said this "prevents people from finding out whether this whistleblower is correct or not, which does not bring closure to anyone".

Mr Harris said the member of staff must be protected, having raised an issue of "utmost importance".