By Ursula Duddy
Reporter
The Western Trust has issued a warning to visitors and patients at Altnagelvin Hospital about filming staff on wards without agreement following complaints made by members of staff.
The statement was issued after the Derry News learned that complaints had been made by nursing staff to the Western Trust about being filmed on the ward while carrying out their duties.
Following a query made by the Derry News, a spokesperson for the Western Health and Social Care Trust (Western Trust) confirmed there had been reports made about nurses being filmed without their permission: “The Trust has been made aware of concerns of staff being filmed by visitors/patients without their permission.”
The spokesperson said that there is a protocol for filming in wards that this should be adhered to by visitors and patients alike.
“The Western Trust has a Visiting Policy in place which states visitors should be advised that in the interest of promoting patient privacy that camera phones, cameras and camcorders should not be used within the ward areas,” they said.
“The only exceptions to this would be, where there has been an agreement between the patient or members of their family and the clinical team that a recording, either sound or film, could be made for example, if the discussion was to include specific detail about care and treatment ; or in the Maternity Departments where special guidance in available.”
The spokesperson said that nursing staff have the right to ask anyone filming them to stop if they are doing so without the staff’s permission.
“Where nursing staff are aware that they may be being filmed, without agreement, they can ask the person to stop,” the spokesperson said.
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