PILA hospital litigation success for transgendered woman
4 Nov 2011
An equality challenge taken through the PILA pro bono scheme has resulted in a Dublin hospital amending its policy on transgender people.
Leanora Frawley of KOD/Lyons and Aoife Coghlan BL represented Ms Denise O'Herlihy in an equality tribunal challenge against the Mater Hospital. Ms O'Herlihy is transgendered male to female. When she attended the Hospital for treatment, the staff refused to address her as female, on the basis that she did not have a passport identifying her as such. Ms O'Herlihy received support from the Irish Women's Advocacy Service, who approached PILA on her behalf.
The matter settled last week, with the Hospital agreeing both to train its staff on transgender issues and to amend its transgender policy as follows:
The Hospital is obliged to maintain the integrity, reliability and confidentiality of healthcare records and is constrained by legislation to safeguard patient records. Within these legal parameters, the hospital is committed to rolling out an awareness raising component around transgender issues as part of its training for staff in connection with patient registration. Training for administrative staff will henceforth include guidance to staff that patients be addressed by their alias name where different to their registered name.
PILA is delighted for Ms O'Herlihy and grateful to both lawyers for providing legal representation in this important matter.
Click here to view a piece by the Transgender Equality Network Ireland.
Click here to read more on the work lawyers do through PILA.