Inclusion Ireland calls for Report into Leas Cross death to be published in full

Inclusion Ireland is dismayed at reports that the family of Peter McKenna who died in Leas Cross, have been denied access to the Report into his death, unless they sign a confidentiality agreement.  Mr. McKenna had an intellectual disability. In 2000, Mr. McKenna was transferred against the wishes of his family, to Leas Cross by a large voluntary intellectual disability service provider. Mr McKenna died 13 days after his transfer.  

Inclusion Ireland is opposed to the practice of placing people with an intellectual disability in nursing homes, which are not equipped to deal with their specific requirements and needs.

Inclusion Ireland calls for this report, which is the result of an inquiry initiated in September 2007, to be published in full.

A  National Intellectual Disability Database Report (2008) shows that 153 people with an intellectual disability live in nursing homes but there is no breakdown of the ages of this group of people (this is an increase of 8 people, up from 143 in 2006). However, from cases known to Inclusion Ireland, a number of these people are placed in private nursing homes because there are no appropriate services for them within intellectual disability services. Others are placed in private nursing homes following ward closures in long-stay psychiatric hospitals or are moved from intellectual disabilities services who say they are unable to cope with the person’s changing needs.  

As a result of the public outcry following Leas Cross, there are now National Quality Standards for Residential setting for Older People. This means that nursing homes must be registered with HIQA and the new standards will be implemented by the Chief Inspector of Social Services. Yet there is still no obligation for residential services for people with an intellectual disability to abide by national standards, and there is no monitoring and no means of enforcement. Are we waiting for another Leas Cross before this happens?

ENDS

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