HSE Press Office: Putting the record straight

Request for Sunday Times to correct article on stress - 23 Jan 2005

A significant factual error was included in yesterday's Sunday Times Appointments pages. The story, 'It's a blackboard jungle - get me out of here', page 13, said "the HSE served an 'improvement notice' on De Montfort University in Leicester, demanding it deal better with stresses..."

HSE has not served an Improvement Notice on De Montfort University. Here, as explained to your reporter Mary Braid last Monday, are the facts:

Following visits to the Leicester and Bedford campuses in May and June 2004 to investigate a complaint concerning work-related stress, we wrote to the Vice Chancellor of De Montfort University in August 2004 detailing our findings and recommending an action plan. This was a letter of advice, not an improvement notice - which is a legal instrument and which we only use as a last resort. The University responded constructively to our report.

Please publish a correction as soon as possible