Two more women get apologies over treatment by Waterford hospital consultant

One woman said she was left "shaken and crying" after being asked to leave the department repeatedly by Dr McCann at University Hospital Waterford. File picture: Denis Minihane.

Two more women have revealed they have been apologised to by University Hospital Waterford over treatment by the same consultant at its emergency department.

It brings to four the number who received the apologies following their interactions with Dr Brendan McCann. The hospital advised one woman to contact the Ombudsman, however, when she did so, she was told the Medical Council is the best-placed body to address the consultant's behaviour.

Following yesterday's report in the Irish Examiner about apologies provided to a teenage girl and a 29-year-old woman, two women aged in their 50s contacted this newspaper about their experiences.

UHW's General Manager wrote to both saying "it is completely unacceptable that any staff member would communicate with anyone in that way". All four women were told that the treatment by consultant Brendan McCann was "completely unacceptable" in the letter received from the hospital.

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One woman, from West Waterford, was not a patient but had brought an elderly relative to the hospital in July 2020. She told the HSE that she had been allowed to stay with her family member by nurses present, but was asked to leave the department repeatedly by Dr McCann. 

She said she was left "shaken and crying". The woman alleged in her letter: "I tried again to repeat what I had said about the nurse and that my (relative) needed me there, and (Dr McCann) raised his voice and said 'I am the clinical lead, and the nurses work for me'."

The hospital apologised to her the following month.

While General Manager Grace Rothwell said there were restrictive visitor protocols in place due to the pandemic, she accepted the "manner in which it was communicated was most inappropriate and would certainly have caused undue stress and worry".

Another woman in her 50s visited UHW last year as a patient and alleged she had been mistreated by the consultant. She received an apology from the hospital last November.

Ms Rothwell told her: "I wholly agree that the manner in which he engaged with you is not in keeping with the values of dignity and respect and is not supported by hospital management and staff."

Both UHW and Dr McCann, who is the clinical lead in the emergency department, declined to comment when contacted.

As reported yesterday, a teenage girl received an apology in recent days, after she had presented to A&E in pain but was refused entry and not assessed.

In the other case, a 29-year-old woman was in severe pain with long-term ovary issues and alleged she had been "verbally abused" by Dr McCann in front of other patients and staff. She received her apology in 2020.