Opinion

Analysis: 'Data protection' must be balanced alongside public interest in wake of NHS abuse probes

Abuse allegations relating to the former Lissue hospital, leaked to The Irish News six years ago, sparked a £33k inquiry
Abuse allegations relating to the former Lissue hospital, leaked to The Irish News six years ago, sparked a £33k inquiry Abuse allegations relating to the former Lissue hospital, leaked to The Irish News six years ago, sparked a £33k inquiry

SEVEN years ago, the most senior health officials in Northern Ireland ordered a £33,000 Cabinet Office probe into the leaking of sensitive information about historical abuse to The Irish News.

The story centred on a former psychiatric hospital for children, Lissue House in Lisburn, and contained allegations of sexual, physical and emotional abuse by six nurses.

More than 80 people who had access to the 'Lissue files' were grilled by Whitehall officials over a five-month period - but the whistleblower was never found.

Subsequently, Lissue was one of 22 institutions included in the landmark Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry.

Officials were accused of a 'witch-hunt' over the leak inquiry, at a time when former DUP health minister Edwin Poots vowed to protect NHS employees who raised the alarm.

Concerns were also raised about the protection of the person, who many felt had acted in the public interest to disclose the documents but who now had become the focus of a major investigation.

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The details today about a new leaks inquiry related to this newspaper are far removed from a Cabinet-scale probe, but parallels can still drawn.

The development comes as two scandals relating to alleged abuse of vulnerable patients in Dunmurry Manor care home and Muckamore Abbey Hospital have rocked the health service and raised safeguarding concerns.

Health officials are asking staff across the sector to urgently find the source who revealed details of 'red flag' alerts linked to Dunmurry Manor.

Health Correspondent Seanín Graham
Health Correspondent Seanín Graham Health Correspondent Seanín Graham

Relatives of care home patients have repeatedly asked for openness and accountability from the Department of Health about what actions have been taken to address abuse allegations.

While data protection legislation is there to protect individuals facing serious and potentially criminal allegations, it must be balanced alongside a public interest argument to ensure maximum transparency - and provide assurances to families coping with profoundly disturbing claims about the care of the most vulnerable in our society.