Aidan Hanna of the Independent Workers Union with a letter to the Irish News that appeared on 4 October 2013
Does the Permanent Secretary Dr Andrew McCormick agree with the Independent Workers Union that in the last 3 years official figures show that there has been 3,956 medication errors reported to the RQIA by the private sector compared to 846 medication errors reported to the RQIA from the statutory sector?
Does Dr McCormick accept that as a direct result of severe staff cuts, and an ever increasing work load on fewer people that community based care workers and nurses are under immense pressure and stress in the workplace?
This union sees evidence on a daily basis that health workers remain justifiably petrified to 'blow the whistle' on bad practice or patient and client safety and does Dr McCormick accept that his Department does little to assist potential whistle blowers, and the union invites him to provide any real evidence to support an alternative position if he does not accept the union's position.
The union concludes that the combination of these two realities results in greater numbers of patients and clients receiving an unacceptably poor level of care and invites the Department to support our conclusion.
This is one of the many problem areas, not discussed in any public Transforming Your Care consultations. This vision of health care 'championed' by all parties in our wavering assembly is doomed to fail.
Once again it is only the trade union movement that can make a tangible difference to those most vulnerable in our society, and we must re-awaken to the harsh fact that our health service is being strategically dismantled cut by cut, part privatisation by part privatisation, and we don't need to look too far for proof with State run homes for the elderly being denied new residents so that the already crumbling private sector can move in.
The IWU now calls on all employees in the health and social care sector to do much more and speak out and save our health service from further dismantling. Any information, including anonymised information passed to the IWU will be forwarded by the union to the Department and the Minister and we will not identify a single informant.
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The exact same thing is going on throughout the EU. The Problem is trying to find (sleeping directors) those who get paid a specific Fee, and I wouldn't be surprised in the least to find members of Governments within that category. Its corruption at the highest level , and those corrupt officials are the ones selling of health care to the private sector for their own greed. I would advise anyone within the health care system who knows of wrong doing to contact their Union Rep with the details, that way you can't be hounded by any management for whistle blowing.
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