Mercy University Hospital defends doctor treatment after report raised concerns
The Mercy University Hospital (MUH) has defended its treatment of junior doctors after the Medical Council raised concerns that trainees are being disrespected and belittled by other staff.
In a statement, MUH said it is a “values-driven organisation and does not condone unprofessional behaviour by any member of its staff”.
It said that during the Medical Council inspection where trainee doctors raised concerns, the hospital “provided strong documentary evidence to support its emphasis on and compliance with expected codes of behaviour and conduct”.
Interns who spoke with members of the visiting Medical Council team said while the hospital has “a respectful and professional working environment”, there were “a number of incidents when they were not treated with respect and described feeling belittled”.
For example, interns reported incidents where some (but not all) members of the Radiology Department had treated them very unprofessionally when attempting to order scans”.
There was also an instance where an intern was not able to eat while on a long shift, “and had been criticised by nursing staff for attempting to do so”.
Moreover, male interns reported receiving preferential treatment over female colleagues from nursing staff while on call.
MUH said the hospital has “clear processes” to address breaches of expected codes of behaviour: “Where any such breach is brought to the hospital’s attention, it is immediately investigated and addressed.”
MUH had recently received national recognition for its staff well-being programmes including a dedicated NCHD (junior doctor) programme called ‘Valuing Voices’, acknowledged in the council’s report.
The report was on foot of an inspection of compliance with intern and specialist trainee training standards at nine hospital sites last year, including MUH.
