Sisters of Charity ‘will have no involvement in new maternity hospital’

The Sisters of Charity released a statement on Monday morning.

The Sisters of Charity have announced that they will end their involvement in a new national maternity hospital to be located in St. Vincent’s Hospital in Dublin. In a statement released on Monday, Sr Mary Christian, Congregational Leader of the Religious Sisters of Charity, said that the sisters of charity had been actively working to find the best way to relinquish their shareholding of the St. Vincent’s Healthcare Group (SVHG) for the last two years. Ownership of the hospital will be transferred to a newly formed company with charitable status to be called ‘St. Vincent’s', in which the sisters of charity will have no involvement. Furthermore, with the transfer of ownership, the Sisters of Charity will no longer have a right to appoint Directors to the Board of SVHG and the present two Sister Directors will resign from the Board with immediate effect. The statement by Sr Mary Christian can be read in full below.

“The Religious Sisters of Charity will end our involvement in St Vincent’s Healthcare Group and will not be involved in the ownership or management of the new National Maternity Hospital. “For the last two years we have been actively working to find the best way to relinquish our shareholding of the St Vincent’s Healthcare Group (SVHG). It includes three hospitals; St. Vincent’s University Hospital, St. Vincent’s Private Hospital and St. Michael’s Hospital, Dun Laoghaire. “Although the Sisters of Charity no longer have any direct involvement in the provision of healthcare services we remain dedicated to preserving the legacy of Mary Aikenhead, whose mission in life was to heal and care for the sick and poor. We believe that the future continued success of SVHG can best be ensured by our transferring ownership of the group to a newly formed company with charitable status to be called “St. Vincent’s”. The Religious Sisters of Charity will have no involvement in this new company. “Upon completion of this proposed transaction, the requirement set out in the SVHG Constitution, to conduct and maintain the SVHG facilities in accordance with The Religious Sisters of Charity Health Service Philosophy and Ethical Code, will be amended and replaced to reflect compliance with national and international best practice guidelines on medical ethics and the laws of the Republic of Ireland. “The SVHG Board, management and staff will continue to provide acute healthcare services that foster Mary Aikenhead’s core values of dignity, compassion, justice, quality and advocacy. They will ensure that the three hospitals in SVHG can continue to meet the needs of their patients and families, so that every individual can always access the care and treatment they need to achieve health and well-being.”

“St. Vincent’s” will replace the Sisters of Charity as the shareholders in SVHG and will meet the following criteria:

• The shares in SVHG will be transferred to St. Vincent’s for a nominal/“peppercorn” consideration in return.
• Consistent with the transfer of ownership, the Religious Sisters of Charity will no longer have a right to appoint Directors to the Board of SVHG, and the present two Sister Directors will resign from the Board with immediate effect.
• “St. Vincent’s” will not be subject to undue influence by individuals or from any source.
• “St. Vincent’s” will not seek to generate any profit or surplus, or to remunerate Directors for their work.
• “St. Vincent’s” Directors will have required skillsets in law, finance, healthcare and social care. They will be true to the values of our Foundress, recognising the right of everyone to access the care and treatment they need to achieve the best possible health care outcomes, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, gender or personal means.
• In the event of the liquidation or wind-up of St. Vincent’s at any time in the future, any surplus assets arising therefrom will be vested with the Charitable Regulator and utilised for healthcare purposes and facilities with similar values. This is in accordance with the provisions of the RSC Constitution.

“Just as our Founder Mary Aikenhead saw the need in 1834 to establish a hospital to meet the needs of the sick and poor, we believe that it is in the best interests of the patients and children born in the National Maternity Hospital today that they be provided with modern maternity and neonatal services that are women and infant centred and integrated within the Elm Park campus”. “It is now time for us to relinquish completely our involvement in SVHG.  We are confident that the Board, management and staff of SVHG will continue to maintain a steadfast dedication to providing the best possible acute healthcare to patients and their families in line with the values espoused by Mary Aikenhead”.

The proposal by the Sisters of Charity has the full support of the Board of SVHG. It is subject to implementation of all necessary legal, financial and regulatory matters.