{"id":5968,"date":"2025-06-17T14:13:44","date_gmt":"2025-06-17T13:13:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oreillystewart.com\/?p=5968"},"modified":"2025-06-17T14:14:17","modified_gmt":"2025-06-17T13:14:17","slug":"whistleblowing-in-a-healthcare-setting-in-northern-ireland","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oreillystewart.com\/whistleblowing-in-a-healthcare-setting-in-northern-ireland\/","title":{"rendered":"Whistleblowing in a Healthcare Setting in Northern Ireland"},"content":{"rendered":"

Consultant Pathologist, Dr Michael McKenna, decided to come forward and detail his experience as a Consultant in the Southern Health and Social Care Trust after Health Minister Mike Nesbitt encouraged HSC staff to speak up on any issues or concerns they experience within the HSC system.<\/p>\n

By way of background, on 30th<\/sup> May 2025, the Health Minister indicated that the behaviours detailed in a recent report on the Cardiac Surgical Unit of the Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast Health and Social Care Trust are \u201cappalling and bring shame on our health service\u201d and that he would be \u201cholding the Trust\u2019s senior management accountable for its response to the report\u201d.<\/p>\n

It has been noted that at one point, a surgical procedure had to be cancelled owing to \u201cinterpersonal differences in theatre\u201d between surgical staff and that relations had broken down to the extent where four surgeons from within the team were \u201cworking from home\u201d.<\/p>\n

The Belfast Trust since acknowledged that \u201cstaff felt hurt and unable to speak out\u201d and said it is \u201ccommitted to making changes which we have begun implementing\u201d.<\/p>\n

In response to the damning report, the Health Minister has been holding meetings with BHSCT Chair, Mr Ciaran Mulgrew, trade unions and professional bodies. Further, on 5th<\/sup> June 2025 the Minister announced that the Department\u2019s performance accountability for BHSCT has been raised to Level 5 \u2013 \u201cthe highest level\u201d.<\/p>\n

The Minister emphasised the need to ensure that the \u201coverall culture\u201d of the entire HSC system is \u201cwelcome for all those who work there\u201d and \u201cevery employee with concerns about bullying or other unacceptable behaviours must be properly listened to and supported\u201d. The Minister is also \u201ccommitted to ensuring that all staff across the HSC system come to work in environments and settings which support and value them and enable them to give their best to the patients they serve\u201d. The Minister also expressed that he is \u201ccommitted to ensuring that the patient\u2019s voice and lived experience is at the core of how we respond\u201d.<\/p>\n

In the wake of same, on 12th<\/sup> June 2025 UTV exclusively reported on an interview they conducted with Consultant Pathologist Dr Michael McKenna, who blew the whistle on Cervical Screening issues which arose in the Southern Health and Social Care Trust. We previously reported that over 17,500 women in the Southern Trust area have been recalled owing to concerns about the accuracy of previously analysed cervical screening tests. All of the impacted patients are having their previous test results re-examined.<\/p>\n

Dr McKenna, a Consultant Pathologist with more than 15 years experience, informed UTV that his motivation for speaking up was to protect the public by flagging serious issues in SHSCT and that the encouragement by the Minister to speak up \u201cwas a powerful motivator\u201d. However, Dr McKenna described in detail the response by the Public Health Agency to the issues which he flagged. He met with the PHA in August 2022 regarding the SHSCT cervical screening issues and the meeting \u201cdid not go as expected\u201d. Dr McKenna described a \u201chostile and defensive environment\u201d which left him feeling \u201cdevastated\u201d and impacted him \u201cprofessionally and personally\u201d.<\/p>\n

Dr McKenna stated during his interview that whistleblowing is a \u201cfailsafe to ensure patient safety\u201d. However, when asked whether he would do so again given the response received when he blew the whistle, Dr McKenna said that he \u201cdoesn\u2019t know\u201d, but his challenge is to the Minister and everyone else working in senior management that this is a \u201ccultural problem\u201d and it is \u201cwithin your gift to change this and fix it\u201d. Dr McKenna emphasised that \u201cbeing open and transparent\u201d is one of the core values of the health service.<\/p>\n

In response, the Public Health Agency \u201cstrongly refutes\u201d any suggestion that concerns have been handled in anything other than a \u201cprofessional, comprehensive and collegiate manner\u201d.<\/p>\n

If you have any queries or concerns in respect of medical care you have received, contact our Healthcare Team on 028 90 321 000 or info@oreillystewart.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Dearbhla O\u2019Hanlon, Solicitor<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Consultant Pathologist, Dr Michael McKenna, decided to come forward and detail his experience as a Consultant in the Southern Health and Social Care Trust after Health Minister Mike Nesbitt encouraged HSC staff to speak up on any issues or concerns they experience within the HSC system. By way of background, on 30th May 2025, the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"class_list":["post-5968","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorised"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhistleblowing in a Healthcare Setting in Northern Ireland - O\u2019Reilly Stewart Solicitors - Belfast, Northern Ireland, Legal Firm<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Whistleblowing in a Healthcare Setting in Northern Ireland\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/oreillystewart.com\/whistleblowing-in-a-healthcare-setting-in-northern-ireland\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Whistleblowing in a Healthcare Setting in Northern Ireland - 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