Health Board Director Sacked For Leaking Documents

A director on the Health and Social Care Board has been removed from her post after leaking confidential documents to the media and a trade union.

Lily Kerr has also been removed from her position as chair of the Northern Ireland Social Care Council.

She is said to have emailed documents "without authority" in May.

Removing her from her posts, Health Minister Edwin Poots said Mrs Kerr's actions had undermined the public standing of the Board and "bred suspicion and mistrust".

He said posts on the board were "positions of responsibility, and as such must demonstrate the highest standards of corporate and personal conduct based on a recognition that patients and clients come first".

Mrs Kerr responded by saying that one document was not confidential and the other had already appeared in the media and was in the hands of trade union officials.

She is a former Unison official and has been on the Health and Social Care Board since it began.

Unison has condemned the sacking as "an anti-union move".

The Board is responsible for commissioning services.

Unison official Patricia McKeown said: "Lily Kerr has done nothing wrong. Information she shared was in the public domain anyway.

"We share her concern that decisions in our health service are increasingly being taken without a public presence at meetings rather than in the public, open and transparent manner which was promised.

"In our view Poots is engaging in anti-trade union action."

Mrs Kerr confirmed she will challenge her dismissal.

(NE)