Board of maternity hospital rejects call for resignation of deputy chair

The board of the National Maternity Hospital (NMH) has rejected a call from a former master for the resignation of its deputy chairman, Nicky Kearns, over the proposed move to St Vincent's Hospital.

In a 10-page letter, Dr Peter Boylan says Mr Kearns should "take the honourable course of action and resign" over the "shambles" of the plans to move to St Vincent's.

He alleges Mr Kearns has “seriously mishandled the project to date, in particular by your failure to advocate successfully for the hospital’s independence”.

Mr Kearns’s actions will result in the destruction of the maternity hospital’s independence should the relocation project go ahead as currently planned, Dr Boylan, a governor of the NMH, claims.

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The NMH board met on Friday in response to Dr Boylan's letter and declared unanimous backing for Mr Kearns, a former president of the High Court.

“The board regards your ongoing efforts to obstruct or derail this vital project for women and their babies as exceptionally disappointing,” according to a letter sent on behalf of the board to Dr Boylan after the meeting.

“Your personal attack on the deputy chair is totally unwarranted . . . and unworthy of a governor.”

‘Integrity, wisdom and dedication’

Rejecting the criticisms from Dr Boylan, the board says its deputy chair has discharged his duties at all times “with the full authority and backing of the board” and has acted “with full integrity, wisdom and dedication” in guiding it.

Though backed by both the NMH and St Vincent’s, the planned move of the maternity hospital has been beset by controversy, in particular relating to concerns over ethos. The Sisters of Charity are withdrawing from all involvement with St Vincent’s but the project is well behind schedule.

By law, the Archbishop of Dublin is the chairman of the maternity hospital, but the incumbent, Diarmuid Martin, plays no role in the running of the NMH, so the deputy chairman is effectively the chair.

In his letter, Dr Boylan, who has investigated many individual maternal and baby deaths, says corporate independence for a maternity hospital “is not a theoretical issue, but can quite literally be a matter of life and death”.

He alleges Mr Kearns “failed utterly” to act as a successful advocate for the hospital by expressing a willingness in a 2016 letter to concede ownership of the new building to be constructed on the St Vincent’s campus.

“I consider it to have been a disgraceful action for which you had no authority or support.

“In my view, your letter was an egregious dereliction of your duty as deputy chair to act in the best interests of the NMH and was not within your powers.”

According to Dr Boylan, the relocated NMH will be a “subsidiary hospital” of St Vincent’s and its master will be “relegated to being one clinical director of four”.

Catholic ethos

Dr Boylan also points out that the issue of Catholic ethos at the new hospital has been a major source of public controversy.

“In my view you have failed to deal adequately with the issue, specifically the concerns in relation to the potential for Catholic ethos to adversely impact on the care of women in the new NMH as a consequence of it being owned by the Sisters of Charity on land also owned by them.”

The relocation project “appears rudderless, with a complete failure to maintain true independence in the interests of the women who will attend the hospital in the future,” he says.

“The hospital needs a deputy chair who will advocate successfully on its behalf, not someone who concedes independence with every challenge.

“As a former master and governor it is deeply disturbing to observe the shambles into which the co-location project has descended under your watch.”