Findings in Royal Victoria Hospital cardiac surgery unit report quite appalling, trust chief says

Mr Mulgrew held a meeting with Health Minister Mike Nesbitt on Friday about the leaked report, which raised concerns about the working culture and risks to patient safety within the unit in the Belfast hospital.

Mr Nesbitt said he was now finalising a series of Department of Health interventions following the report, which he said brought "shame on our health service".

The findings of the independent external review, which were first reported by UTV, are said to have included an intolerable working environment and a pattern of consistently poor behaviour within the unit.

During a meeting of the Stormont Health Committee this week, it was stated that the report contained allegations of bullying of junior staff by more senior staff, surgeons working from home and the throwing of medical instruments during operations. Mr Mulgrew said there had been a "frank exchange of views" in his meeting with Mr Nesbitt.

He said: "Certainly the minister was unambiguous in terms of what it is that he wants, in terms of performance improvement within the Belfast Trust and I think he's perfectly entitled to want those improvements.

"He left no doubt whatsoever about his desires and his attitude towards the things that need to be progressed."

Mr Mulgrew said he first saw the findings of the inspection report in recent weeks.

He said: "I think it's fair to say my reactions would be the same as most other people who read it.

"There were some quite appalling things within the report.

"There were some very comforting things insofar as the level of clinical excellence within the cardiac surgical unit was commended, the skills of the surgeons was commended, the patient outcomes were excellent.

"But it would be remiss of me not to talk about the things that were wrong, and behavioural issues were manifested which, quite frankly, are unacceptable and for anyone to come to work and to feel that they are bullied, or that they can't speak up is simply not acceptable.

"We had three town hall meetings were we invited everyone who works within the cardiac surgical unit and the ancillary units around it, 150 people came out of a possible 250 and we gave them exactly what we had got from the independent review panel, it was totally unredacted, we didn't hide anything, we gave everyone a hard copy to take home so they could have a look at all 15 recommendations, recommendations the trust has accepted and adopted."

Mr Mulgrew defended the trust's transparency around the report, stating they "were not afraid" of it being leaked to the media. He said: "We have been as transparent as any public organisation that I can ever recall with a situation as difficult as this."

Mr Nesbitt said he had told Mr Mulgrew that the behaviour detailed in the report "bring shame on our health service".

He said: "I will be holding the trust's senior management accountable for its response to the report.”