Management at Children’s Health Ireland (CHI), the embattled State body which runs three children’s hospitals, was warned repeatedly about toxic, bullying and disruptive behaviour by some senior staff, according to doctors who previously worked there.
Several doctors contacted The Irish Times after publication yesterday of details about a CHI report on the toxic atmosphere in part of one of its hospitals.
The report described a “negative and toxic” work culture, in which multiple staff complained that “unprofessional and disruptive behaviour from consultants” contributed to the undermining of care and treatment for sick children. Only a small number of CHI consultants were involved in the behaviour.
[ Report reveals ‘toxic culture’ among consultants at CHI hospitalOpens in new window ]
Several doctors related their experience in the hospital concerned.
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“My personal experiences were of belittlement, undermining of professional judgment and ritual humiliation in front of other staff,” said one.
“They were not atypical of the other junior docs while I was there. We all adopted a get-the-head-down approach until our rotations ended.”
Another person working as a consultant said they had been “victim of the bullying and harassment by CHI consultants, more specifically one particular consultant in CHI, over a long period of time”.
The person said that “numerous complaints” had been made over many years to Children’s Health Ireland management regarding one person in particular and about “bullying behaviour”.
Another confirmed “toxic behaviour” by “arrogant and abusive” senior colleagues.
One doctor described how concerns for the safety of one junior colleague were ignored by a senior colleague who pretended not to know the junior colleague’s name. The doctor also recounted being dismissed in sexist terms by a senior colleague after she brought concerns about possible sexual abuse of a patient to his notice.
CHI, which is responsible for the governance and operation of the three paediatric hospitals in Dublin at Temple Street, Crumlin and Tallaght, and is due to take over the running of the new national children’s hospital, has been plagued by scandal and controversy in recent months.
A recent report found that most hip surgeries carried out on children were unnecessary. Before that, it emerged that devices not cleared for surgical use were inserted into children suffering from scoliosis, the management of which has been another long-running controversy.
In a statement, CHI said: “The examination in question was conducted at the end of 2021 in response to concerns and issues raised. The recommendations have been implemented and are ongoing. The issues have been addressed and the team in question are working well.
“Work on CHI’s culture is ongoing,” it said
CHI said there had been “inaccurate media reporting in relation to NTPF payments to a consultant”.
“CHI can confirm that these clinics did not take place in the consultant’s private rooms. They occurred in a public clinic, in one of its hospitals, on a Saturday. It was a waiting list initiative for an outpatient appointment only.
“The NTPF funded the hospital for this waiting list initiative and there was no charge to patients. This was over and above the Consultant’s contractual hours. There are no direct payments to CHI staff from NTPF.”
“We regularly conduct internal reviews to ensure any issues are identified and addressed across our services. CHI is a learning organisation and service improvements through internal reviews and clinical audits, which are an essential tool to support this, will continue to be a priority.
[ Revelations show appalling personal behaviour among some CHI medicsOpens in new window ]
“A number of underlying concerns, service gaps and issues were identified in a CHI service in 2021/2022, which needed to be explored and understood in greater detail, to ensure supportive action and corrective measures could be put in place where required.
“This internal review report was presented to and discussed at [the] Board. The recommendations were accepted, implemented and continue to be implemented. All appropriate action was taken.
“Strong, collaborative leadership and consistent good governance are the foundation of running effective, efficient, and best in class services across CHI. There has been immense change under way across all CHI sites for the last number of years. The merging of processes, policies, practices and cultures presents the opportunity to make meaningful, strategic, and sustainable change, all with a view to delivering a world class paediatric healthcare service.”
