One of the two doctors who took Peamount Hospital to the High Court after it made him redundant yesterday expressed relief that the case had been settled and that he was allowed return to look after his patients. Eithne Donnellan reports
Prof Luke Clancy, a consultant respiratory physician with an expertise in treating TB patients, said it was "very sad" the hospital forced him and Dr Paul Kelly to "to take recourse to law to be allowed to look after our patients".
Peamount Hospital, in a statement, welcomed the settlement of the action but said contrary to some reports it had not footed the bill for all of the costs.
Furthermore, it said that Prof Clancy was not returning to the hospital as its medical director. "Under the terms of the settlement, Prof Clancy ceases to be medical director with immediate effect, and the new strategic plan adopted by the board of the hospital, including the planned closure of the chest hospital, will proceed. Prof Clancy will occupy a post of senior treating physician until the end of this year when he will cease to be employed by Peamount," it said.