Injury Compensation News

Professor John Crown, a consultant oncologist, writing recently in The Irish Independent, said that the HSE and Department of Health and Children together “comprise one of the least ethical organisations that I have ever dealt with”. Professor Crown goes on to describe the HSE as “secretive, self-serving, dishonest, incompetent and unintelligent.”  He concludes, with an interesting historical comparison, that the “corruption and incompetence” of the HSE is effectively a form of Stalinism.
These comments are interesting from the point of view of anyone trying to make a medical negligence claim or hospital negligence claim related to one of the HSE’s services.  The management problems that increase the likelihood of negligence are compounded by the way the HSE deals with its own negligence.  It’s really no surprise that the Injuries Board Ireland refuses to deal with cases against the HSE.

In a strongly-worded open letter, the Irish Patients Association has today called on unions in the health service to avoid hurting patients during their industrial action.

The letter noted the fatal consequences of previous union activity: Following the death of a patient the family noted that the staff were more interested and focused on putting up notices for a lunch time protest rather than listening to their calls for urgent attention as their family members’ health chronically deteriorated.

The letter goes on to say that union protests cause “chaos for individual patients” and calls for a “balanced solution” to the problems in the health service.

The letter was sent to leaders of IMPACT, T.E.E.U, C.P.S.U, S.I.P.T.U, and I.C.T.U.