Latest news with #BeaumontHospital
BreakingNews.ie
3 days ago
- Health
- BreakingNews.ie
Nurse guilty of professional misconduct over inappropriate behaviour towards female patient (18)
A nurse who made inappropriate and sexualised comments and sent follow-up text messages to a young female patient attending Beaumont Hospital in Dublin two years ago has been found guilty of professional misconduct. The nurse, Mark Lester Ordonez, admitted to a fitness-to-practise inquiry of the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland that he had 'crossed the line' in his interactions with the 18-year-old girl when she attended the hospital on June 21st, 2023 for a endoscopy procedure, but begged to be given a second chance for his 'stupid mistake.' Advertisement The NMBI inquiry found five separate allegations of professional misconduct proven against the Filipino nurse, which included allegations relating to texts sent later the same day by Mr Ordonez to what he believed was the girl's mobile phone, but which actually belonged to her mother. The inquiry chairperson, Mary Leahy, said Mr Ordonez's behaviour represented a serious falling short of the standards expected of a registered nurse and he had 'crossed a boundary' by making a serious of personal and inappropriate remarks to a vulnerable, anxious patient and subsequently making unsolicited contact with her by text message. Ms Leahy also said the nurse should not have contacted the patient's mother who had made a legitimate complaint about him, while his actions also represented a breach of the Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics for nurses. In a written statement, the girl – identified only as Patient A – explained she was anxious about doing her Leaving Cert and it was the first time she did not need to be accompanied by one of her parents for an endoscopy as she had turned 18, although her mother was waiting for her in the hospital. Advertisement Patient A said she was taken aback by the nurse asking her: 'Are any boys adding to your stress?' The girl said she tried to laugh it off but felt extremely awkward before the nurse said, 'You are too pretty not to have a boyfriend,' and 'You remind me of my ex-girlfriend in Germany.' Patient A said the atmosphere in the room had changed at that stage and she felt 'really uncomfortable' and there was an awkward silence. The inquiry heard that the teenager fainted as she was going to have the procedure. Advertisement After it was finished, Patient A said she wanted to leave the hospital as soon as possible and described how her mother was shocked to hear about the nurse's comments on their way home. The girl said she never wanted to be the reason why the nurse lost his job. In a separate statement, Patient A's mother said she did not make too much of what happened at first apart from feeling uncomfortable that the nurse was too old to be looking at her daughter in that way. The woman said she was shopping later that evening when she received a text which appeared to come from Mr Ordonez, which mentioned her daughter's name. Advertisement It read: 'Sorry to bother you and can't help myself to look into your number. If you are not happy or comfortable for me to message you just let me know. I'm so sorry again if that's the case.' Patient A's mother recalled: 'I nearly dropped with shock…I felt sick at the realisation that Mr Ordonez was essentially asking [Patient A] out.' The woman said she received another text from Mr Ordonez later that evening, which stated: 'By the way, what happened to you a while ago is called vasovagal syncope.' She said she could not believe the nurse had texted again, while her daughter was 'a bit creeped out.' Advertisement The woman said she contacted the hospital the following day to make a complaint. The inquiry heard she contacted Beaumont again the following month after receiving an aggressive text from Mr Ordonez on July 25th, 2023, which read: 'I hope you are happy now. I got terminated.' The inquiry heard that Beaumont Hospital took the decision to end the nurse's probationary period on that date following the complaint in relation to Patient A. Counsel for the NMBI, Miska Hanahoe BL, said the nurse's comments to the patient were inappropriate and of a sexual nature, while he had also inappropriately accessed her medical records to obtain her contact number and send a number of text messages when there was no clinical justification. The inquiry heard Mr Ordonez had offered 'heartfelt apologies' to Patient A and her family for his actions, but explained he was new to Ireland at the time. The nurse claimed 'every day is a learning experience' as he adapted to the culture, rights and responsibilities which operated in Ireland. Mr Ordonez gave evidence that he was a happily married man with a six-year-old son who had moved to Ireland to build a better life for his family. When working in the Philippines, the nurse said he would feel a responsibility to endoscopy patients after work by checking how they were after the procedure and did not realise that GDPR was 'such a big issue' in Ireland, although he had received training about it. Asked about his comments to Patient A, Mr Ordonez told his counsel, Bébhinn Murphy BL, that he was just making some joke as he saw the girl was really stressed. Mr Ordonez explained he just tried to 'make things light' by appreciating her physique, but denied having any sexual or flirtatious intention. He said he sent texts later that evening 'out of concern and nothing else' and to give her some information. Mr Ordonez said if he had any other intention, he would have asked Patient A if she was free for a coffee. The nurse admitted he had sent the text to the girl's mother the following month as a result of the anger, frustration and anxiety he felt after his employment at Beaumont was terminated. The inquiry heard Mr Ordonez has been employed at St James's Hospital in Dublin since April 2024, where a character reference from one of his managers stated that he was an individual of the highest integrity with an exemplary record, professionally and personally. At the conclusion of the inquiry, Ms Leahy said the fitness-to-practise committee would submit a report to the NMBI board together with a recommended sanction.
Irish Times
7 days ago
- Health
- Irish Times
Beaumont billed NTPF for patients seen in routine clinics, doctors claim
Beaumont Hospital in Dublin billed the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) – the State-funded organisation which buys care for those on long waiting lists – for about 1,400 patients seen in routine public clinics, doctors have claimed. Concerns were raised by consultants in one speciality at Beaumont in a letter to the hospital's chairwoman, Pauline Philip, earlier this year. These concerns were the catalyst for the move by the NTPF to suspend all funding for an initiative aimed at tackling waiting lists in the north Dublin facility. The NTPF said on Wednesday it had paused funding for what is known as 'insourcing' at a public hospital, subsequently identified as Beaumont, on foot of 'potential financial irregularities'. Insourcing is where funding is provided to hospitals and staff to provide treatment to patients waiting longest for care. This is to take place outside of core working hours or at weekends. Hospitals and their staff receive additional payments for carrying out such work. Beaumont has received about €40 million in funding from the NTPF under various waiting list initiatives since 2020 – including €11.196 million in 2023, €8.6 million in 2024 and €1.185 million so far in 2025. READ MORE Before funding being suspended in April, about 18 people each week were receiving outpatient appointments and about 25 undergoing gastrointestinal scope procedures under the insourcing arrangements. The Irish Times understands that a number of consultants maintained in the letter to the chairwoman there had been systematic underreporting of activity in their speciality to the HSE's national programme for the particular discipline for several years. The consultants maintained that Beaumont had been claiming for new patient activity from the NTPF without their knowledge or consent. They maintained that this represented about 1,400 new patient appointments, going back to 2019. The consultants maintained that their routine clinical practice had been billed to the NTPF and they were not seeking personal financial reimbursement. Beaumont Hospital did not reply to questions submitted by The Irish Times on Friday. [ National Treatment Purchase Fund seeks assurances from all hospitals that rules of waiting-list schemes being followed Opens in new window ] It is understood that the consultants said in the letter to the hospital board that they had been unsuccessful in getting answers to several questions, including the exact amount that had been billed to and paid by the NTPF regarding activity in the speciality, for what this money had been used and whether similar issues had taken place elsewhere. The NTPF said on Wednesday it had alerted Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill and the HSE about the issue at a public hospital in April. The Minister said the matter had been referred to internal auditors at the HSE. In a statement on Friday, the NTPF said it had 'raised its serious concerns with the chief executive and board of Beaumont Hospital and with the Department of Health and the HSE and is working with them in relation to the issue'. 'The matter has been referred to the HSE's internal audit team. The board and executive of the NTPF take their responsibilities very seriously and will take whatever actions are necessary to ensure our spend with public hospitals is fully protected for the benefit of public patients. Any proven misuse of public money by public institutions will be treated with the gravity it deserves.' It is understood the consultants maintained that the underreporting of activity by the hospital had portrayed them as being among the least productive such units in the country, when the opposite was the case. They expressed concern that as a result of how the unit was perceived in terms of productivity, it may have lost out on investment. Beaumont said on Wednesday that in March it had 'approached the NTPF of its own volition for the purpose of securing necessary clarifications in relation to activity conducted under the terms and conditions of an existing memorandum of understanding'.
Sunday World
13-06-2025
- Sunday World
Suspects in violent death of man in Dundalk have left country, inquest told
It is believed he was attacked on the street close to the house a short time earlier by a group of men with weapons. A number of individuals suspected of having been involved in an incident which resulted in the violent death of a man in Dundalk three years ago have left the jurisdiction, an inquest has heard. Marius Juodenas (44) was discovered with serious injuries in his home on Barrack Street, Dundalk, Co Louth shortly before 7pm on July 5, 2022. It is believed he was attacked on the street close to the house a short time earlier by a group of men with weapons. The injured man, who came originally from Lithuania, was brought by ambulance to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda, Co Louth and later transferred to Beaumont Hospital in Dublin where he died on July 26, 2022 after a life support machine was turned off. Marius Juodenas Today's News in 90 Seconds - June 13 2025 The deceased man, who was known to gardai following a number of court appearances, had previously lived in a number of locations in Cavan where he held down a number of jobs for short periods but had been living in Dundalk at the time of the fatal incident. Detective Inspector Liam Donoghue told a sitting of Dublin District Coroner's Court that the investigation in Mr Juodenas' murder was still ongoing. Det Insp Donoghue explained that it was 'a complex investigation' as a number of individuals believed to have been involved in his death were no longer in Ireland. He told the coroner Aisling Gannon that the investigation was 'still very much alive' with various inquiries being pursued. Det Insp Donoghue expressed hope that an investigation file could be forwarded to the DPP. He claimed a delay in the case was due to attempts to locate the people suspected of being involved in Mr Juodenas' death. Det Insp Donoghue applied for an adjournment of the inquest under Section 25 (1) of the Coroners Act on the basis that criminal proceedings are being considered. A murder investigation was launched by gardaí following Mr Duodenas' death three weeks after he was attacked. It is understood detectives believe the victim was attacked in a planned assault by a number of males known to him who come originally from eastern Europe. Ms Gannon granted the application and said she would adjourn the inquest for three months. The coroner said she would require a detailed update and timeline for the investigation at the next sitting of the case on September 10.
BreakingNews.ie
10-06-2025
- Health
- BreakingNews.ie
Hospital overcrowding: 411 patients waiting for beds
There are 411 admitted patients waiting for beds in Irish hospitals this morning, according to today's Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) Trolley Watch. This includes 282 patients waiting in emergency departments, while 129 are in wards elsewhere in hospitals. Advertisement The most overcrowded hospital is University Hospital Limerick (UHL) where there are 97 patients on trolleys. This is followed by University Hospital Galway (65 patients waiting for beds), Beaumont Hospital (29 patients), the Mater Hospital (28 patients) and Sligo University Hospital (24 patients). The most overcrowded emergency departments are University Hospital Galway (45 patients on trolleys), UHL (38 patients), Beaumont Hospital (29 patients) and the Mater Hospital (28 patients). All the patients without beds in Beaumont and the Mater are in the emergency department.
Irish Times
03-06-2025
- General
- Irish Times
Man arrested and charged after garda assaulted on board plane at Dublin Airport
A man has been arrested and charged after 'viciously' assaulting a garda on board a plane at Dublin Airport on Tuesday morning. The man, aged in his 40s, was on board a transatlantic United Airlines flight travelling from Newark, New Jersey, to Dublin. The captain and crew of the flight reported the man being disruptive and requested the assistance of gardaí, who subsequently boarded and attempted to engage with him. A Garda spokesperson said the man proceeded to 'viciously assault a member of An Garda Síochána'. READ MORE Pepper spray was deployed during the incident, according to the Garda. The passenger subsequently fled the aircraft and was arrested a short time later. He has since been charged with assault and offences under the Air Navigation and Transport Act 2022 and is due before Dublin District Court on Tuesday evening. 'The Garda member who was injured during this incident is being treated at Beaumont Hospital for non-life threatening injuries,' the spokesperson said.
