Latest: TD blasts HSE’s ‘totally inadequate’ response to psychiatrist lobbying on abortion
The HSE's response to an employee lobbying on abortion using company branded letters has been slammed as “totally inadequate”.
A psychiatrist has been spoken to after sending letters to Oireachtas members calling on them to protect the Eighth Amendment.
The HSE says it's not appropriate as staff should remain neutral on the abortion issue while in a working capacity.
People Before Profit TD Brid Smith thinks their response of telling the man in questions the proper rules doesn't go far enough.
“The HSE’s response to this psychiatrist is totally inadequate, a very, very weak response indeed,” she said.
“I know several people who work for the HSE who have been suspended and investigated for long, long periods of times for offences of a much lesser nature.”
HSE management have met with a psychiatrist who contacted TDs on branded paper calling for them to protect the 8th amendment.
Health Service boss Tony O'Brien says the HSE must stay neutral in the abortion debate.
He acknowledged staff may have their own personal views, but cannot use their jobs as a platform to campaign either way.
HSE chief Tony O'Brien said that they are dealing with the issue to make sure it does not happen again.
"The individual in question has already been met with, and will be taken through the appropriate procedures in relation to this," he said.
"Normally we don't issue the general guidance about not taking part in referenda and so on until it's called, but this clearly raises the issue that we needed to do so more quickly."
