No 'gagging order' for Lourdes hospital staff
Wednesday July 28 2010
THE HSE has not introduced a gagging clause in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital staff contracts, a Regional Health Forum has been told.
There haven't been any 'threats' issued against staff about press tip-offs and the hospital has not conducted 'unsuccessful investigation information' in relation to information leaks.
No member of staff between 2008 and 2009 were disciplined or suspended in relation to leaks, the forum members were informed.
Responding to a series of questions about gagging clauses, the HSE said that all its employees are expected to maintain confidentiality as part of their working duties.
Quoting a confidentiality clause within all Our Lady of Lourdes staff contracts, it stated: 'On no account must information concerning employees, patients or any other health service business be divulged or discussed, except in the performance of normal duty.'
Staff at both the Mater and Beaumont Hospital were suspended and disciplined between 2008 and 2009 but the health authority says these were for general disciplinary reasons and not 'gagging' after press leaks.
Describing its 'policy of transparency and openness regarding serious averse incidents' at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, the HSE didn't agree that there is a policy where the publication of reports into these incidents are made anonymous to 'protect professional and personal reputations'.
It stated that the Our Lady of Lourdes disseminates these in 'an anonymised format' to ensure the organisation 'has a consistent approach to their information'.
In a separate reply at the same meeting, the hospital said it had settled ten staff litigation cases between 2008 and 2009.
