WRC recommends €4,500 for worker after flawed investigation into patient-record change

The WRC recommended that an employer pay a worker €4,500 after an investigation into a patient-record change failed to consider relevant information. The recommendation was dated 17 May 2022. The worker said she had corrected a clerical error and the investigation had not considered her explanation. The employer said the change raised patient-safety concerns and that the process was fair. The WRC found no undue delay and said the same HR head setting the investigation terms and conducting the disciplinary process did not, by itself, breach natural justice. It found the investigation had overlooked an existing procedure, leading to an unfair decision. The WRC also recommended written procedures and staff training for administrative corrections, improvements to the patient-data system, and removal of the elapsed disciplinary sanction from the worker’s record.