Details of bitter Blood Bank row revealed

Details of a bitter internal row between Irish Blood Transfusion Service (IBTS) board members have been revealed.

According to documents seen by ireland.com, the dispute arose at a board meeting over the distribution of a management consultants' report on internal problems in the IBTS.

Mr Martyn Hynes, IBTS chief executive, described the report as "irresponsible" and alleged due process had not taken place when the report was distributed.

He added that differences in the agreed process and what had subsequently taken place were unfair to him and his staff. Mr Hynes said the report had a potential impact on his credibility.

He also complained that senior IBTS staff and managers who had been interviewed by the authors of the report did not receive a full copy and therefore had not been treated equally.

Dr Patricia Barker, who resigned as chairperson on August 24th, 2001, defended the decision to provide a full copy of the management report just to those mentioned it and reiterated legal advice had suggested this course of action.

The chairperson also disagreed with Mr Hynes that the report was "irresponsible".

In the minutes of the July board meeting it was also noted that Mr Haynes and Dr Barker had agreed to meet to discuss how the process was handled but the chairperson left the service some weeks later.

Earlier this year, industrial relations specialist, Mr Phil Flynn and Ms Maureen Lynott, investigated weaknesses in the management and reporting structures in the IBTS which might have contributed to the ongoing dispute between its Cork and Dublin centres over centralising blood testing.

Mr Flynn was critical of both centres for their handling of the issue. Changes in management structures recommended by Mr Flynn have been accepted by the board.

He also recommended that senior IBTS official in Cork, Dr Joan Power, be involved with all relevant committees. Dr Power had been removed from a number of key bodies earlier this year.

Dr Power uncovered the hepatitis C scandal, in Cork in 1994. Tensions between the two centres are said to date from that time.

The IBTS said it "sincerely regrets" Prof Barker's resignation and praised her for putting a "tremendous" amount of work into the organisation.

The new chairman of the IBTS is the Mr Michael McLoone, a former Donegal county manager, Beaumont Hospital chief executive. There is currently one vacancy on the 12-person board.