Health minister high level intervention at scandal hit Belfast Trust after 'toxic culture' reports
The Health Minister has placed Belfast Trust under the highest level of intervention amid serious concern over behavioural and cultural issues.
The unprecedented move by Mike Nesbitt was taken after UTV revealed the details of a damning inspection report into the Royal Victoria Hospital's Cardiac Surgery Unit.
UTV uncovered that a culture of poor behaviour by some heart surgeons at the unit led to a 'significant risk to patient safety,' as seen in a damning inspection report.
UTV also spoke to a patient who witnessed extraordinary behaviour while on the operating table who alleged she was told to shut up and had gloves thrown at her.
In a written statement to the Assembly on Thursday the minister said: "The department's performance accountability process for Belfast Trust has been raised to Level 5, the highest level.
'Level 5 is set out within my department's Support and Intervention Framework (SIF), which is overseen and managed by DoH's Strategic Planning and Performance Group (SPPG) and the Public Health Agency (PHA).
"This level is expected to be required in only the most serious and exceptional cases.'
Mike Nesbitt added: "Level 5 intervention is not about blurring lines of responsibility.
"To be clear, it is the responsibility and duty of Belfast Trust – its senior executives and Board – to deliver the action plan for improvement, and to ensure that it leads to tangible improvements in the culture and working environments for this important service in Belfast Trust.
'Level 5 is about ensuring support, oversight and sustained focus.
"It will assist the Trust to achieve stabilisation, ahead of its management reset with the appointment of a new chief executive.
"I am putting in place external expert support for the Trust and have enhanced Departmental accountability, now formalised as a Departmental Accountability Team."
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