Chief executive of the Southern HSC Trust, Steve Spoerry, and chair of the Trust board, Eileen Mullan, have spoken out to condemn recent attacks on migrant health workers.
Speaking at last Thursday’s (June 26) board meeting of the statutory body, Mr Spoerry also revealed that the English hospital where he used to be based had been targeted in a similar way last summer.
The board meeting started with very strong words of support from the chair of the Southern HSC Trust board.
She stated: “Before we begin I want to speak about the recent and ongoing violence and racial attacks that have taken place across Northern Ireland.
“I join the Chief Professional Officers in finding it despicable that people should be targeted and threatened, simply because of their ethnicity, skin colour or cultural background.
“The scenes unfolding are distressing to watch. For those who live in these communities, some of whom will be members of our Health and Social Care Family, I have no doubt you have been feeling frightened, threatened and vulnerable.
“I trust the support provided to you by your manager and our wider Trust teams has helped alleviate any fear or anxiety at this difficult time.
“As a Trust Board we fully support the statements made by the Health Minister and Chief Professional Officers, and say clearly to our international colleagues across health and social care you are welcome, you are deeply valued, and you have our full support. We stand with you and condemn in the strongest possible terms these blatant acts of thuggery.”
Mr Spoerry echoed Eileen Mullan’s comments, and he made it clear that migrant staff within the Trust would be fully supported: “I completely agree with everything that you said.
“I am a recent arrival to Northern Ireland, of course, but unfortunately, we saw similar scenes in England last year, back to the hospital I was working at there.
“I think it’s important for us as both employers and a significant statutory body in this community to stand up and be counted at a time like this.
“And I just wanted to emphasise how valuable the contribution of people from other backgrounds and other countries is to the work we do, the absolutely essential jobs that they’re doing, and we would struggle to maintain some services if they didn’t do that.
“There’s also the fact that they often bring different perspectives and ideas about ways to do things that are valuable to us and to our colleagues.
“So, we all appreciate the contribution that you make, and we all stand with you. And if there are things we can do to support you, we will do them.”
