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Irishhealth.com
March 23, 2001

Landmark 'Woods' inquiry set to end

The biggest Medical Council inquiry of its kind in Ireland is due to come to a close shortly, irishhealth.com has confirmed. Today's hearing has adjourned and one final day for the inquiry has been scheduled. It has also emerged that the report of the inquiry could be ready by early summer.

The unprecedented inquiry into allegations that a prominent doctor made false claims of child sexual abuse involving 11 children from five families began in October 1999.

In all cases, where the children concerned were taken into care by the health board they were later returned, in some cases after legal action by the families concerned. One issue to be determined in the case is whether any of the children were unnecessarily removed from their parent's custody.

At the centre of the inquiry is Dr Moira Woods, the social campaigner and former head of the Sexual Assault Treatment Unit at Dublin's Rotunda Hospital. She has strenuously denied the allegations of professional misconduct and has argued that her decisions were correct.

The complaint against Dr Woods is that she knew or ought to have known that there were insufficient grounds for concluding that sexual abuse had take place.

With closing submissions near an end, it will then be up to the Council's Fitness to Practise Committee (FTPC) to rule on the case. It can clear her of the allegations, or could ultimately rule that she is guilty and should be suspended or struck off the register.

The cases relate to the late 80s. The first complaint made to the Medical Council concerning Dr Wood's conduct was in 1992 from one of the fathers in the controversy. The Medical Council decided in 1996 that there was a prima facie case for the holding of an inquiry. The commencement of that inquiry was held up by various legal cases.

The controversy also involves several health boards and the Rotunda Hospital, all of whom, depending on the outcome, could face an unprecedented lawsuit.

One preliminary hearing for the inquiry was held in public in 1997 but the inquiry proper was held in private. The Medical Council had wanted to hold the inquiry in public but this was objected to by one of the health boards and the objection upheld by the High Court.

However, a full report of the inquiry is to be published, with the names of the families kept private.

The outcome of the inquiry will centre on the standard of clinical judgement and competence demonstrated by Dr Woods in reaching her conclusions in the case of the 11 children.

It will be based on the medical standards of conduct expected at the time among doctors. A large number of witnesses, including international experts, gave evidence at the inquiry.

It will be open to Dr Woods to challenge any negative decision of the Medical Council in the courts.

While no date has been set for the ruling of the inquiry, it is understood that it could be ready by June.