July 2009

 

Inclusion Ireland calls for full debate on Report

of Commission of Investigation into Leas Cross

 

Inclusion Ireland is dismayed that the Report of the Commission of Investigation into Leas Cross will be released two hours after the report of an Bord Snip Nua.  

The debate and controversy, which will inevitably follow the Bord Snip Nua Report will diminish the media coverage and opportunity for public discussion on the State probe into the Leas Cross scandal. It is highly unfortunate that this Report will be published less than a week after the Dáil went into recess and one day after the Seanad shut for the summer. The timing appears to owe more to efforts to prevent rather than encourage transparency and new learning. Surely waiting one more week would not have caused a problem, or better still having released it a week earlier when the Dáil could have debated it? 

Inclusion Ireland believes a full public debate is particularly needed on the third term of reference of the Commission: “the transfer of residents from medical and residential care facilities to the Leas Cross Nursing Home”.  Over twenty patients were transferred from St Ita’s Psychiatric Hospital to Leas Cross during a three year period (2002-2005).  People with an intellectual disability continue to live in psychiatric hospitals. Leas Cross was asked to provide 24 places for patients from St. Itas by the Health Authority as part of a movement to close down large psychiatric hospitals. In 2003, 7 patients from St Itas died within a month of their transfers.  

In 2000, Mr. Peter McKenna was transferred against the wishes of his family, to Leas Cross by St Michael’s House, a large voluntary intellectual disability service provider. Mr McKenna died 13 days after his transfer.  

A  National Intellectual Disability Database Report (2006) shows that 145 people with an intellectual disability live in nursing homes but there is no breakdown of the ages of this group of people. 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.  

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.

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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