Almost 60 investigations into alleged bullying, harassment, and sexual harassment were undertaken by the HSE’s national investigation unit (NIU) over a two-year period, according to figures provided to the Medical Independent (MI).
In 2023 and 2024, some 58 complaints resulted in a formal investigation by the Executive’s NIU.
The figures were released to MI through Freedom of Information law.
The data relates to complaints notified to the unit and does not include other complaints of bullying, harassment, and sexual harassment managed by local services, the HSE stated.
“Records of the number of complaints of bullying, harassment, and sexual harassment, which are managed by local services are not held by the NIU, but may be available from the relevant local service.”
Furthermore, information on sanctions where cases were upheld by the NIU was not provided by the unit.
This information “is not collated centrally as the sanctions imposed by the commissioner of each investigation and compensation paid would be held within the regional services”.
Of the NIU’s completed investigations, more complaints were “not upheld” than “upheld” as of early January 2026, the data shows.
Some 19 of the complaints were upheld, 27 were not upheld, and 12 investigations remained “ongoing”. There were 27 investigations undertaken in 2023 and 31 in 2024.
Out of the six investigations into sexual harassment only, four complaints were upheld and two complaints were not upheld.
The HSE operates a Dignity at Work Policy for the Health Service, updated in 2022, to help support a safe working environment for all healthcare staff.
The policy explains it is “a key tool in health sector organisations’ management of their statutory health and safety responsibilities with regard to preventing and managing risks associated with bullying, harassment, and sexual harassment”.
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