HSE urges no sins of ‘omission’

And so fellow HSE employees, ask not what your Executive can do for you — ask what you can do for your Executive.
This rallying of troops is suggested in the HSE’s latest Code of Standards and Behaviour, which implores its 111,800 staff to show support and loyalty by ‘promoting the organisation’s goals and objectives’.

And in a manner reminiscent of a Church edict, the Executive warns against the sin of undermining any of these objectives through either ‘action or omission’.
Last Friday HSE Assistant National Director of Human Resources Martin McDonald wrote to national and regional managers across the country asking them to ensure that all employees were made aware of and had access to the code, the latest version of which was published in June.
It states that employees must maintain high standards of service delivery; observe appropriate behaviour at work; maintain the highest standards of probity; and support and be loyal to the HSE.
The code, which has been agreed with the health services trade unions, forms part of the terms and conditions of employment and employees are expected to comply with it at all times. “Breaches will constitute a breach of terms and conditions of employment and may result in disciplinary action in accordance with agreed procedures,” stated McDonald in the circular.
The code of is being introduced in accordance with section 25(3) of the Health Act 2004 and the Ethics in Public Office Acts 1995 to 2001, and applies to all employees of the Executive.
To again paraphrase JFK, the HSE seems to want to explore what problems unite it instead of belabouring those problems that divide it.