NURSES DISPUTE HAVING DIRE EFFECT ON PEOPLE WITH AN INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY LIVING IN PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITALS

Inclusion Ireland has urged all parties to the current dispute between the Psychiatric Nurses Association, Siptu and the HSE to make every effort to resolve the situation as soon as possible and without any further escalation. 320 people with an intellectual disability are currently resident in psychiatric hospitals and Inclusion Ireland CEO Deirdre Carroll says “for these people the psychiatric hospitals are their homes and their quality of life is being seriously affected by the ongoing dispute”.

“Despite a Government commitment to transfer all people with an intellectual disability from psychiatric hospitals into more appropriate accommodation by 2006, there are still 320 people with an intellectual disability living in psychiatric hospitals. For those people the ongoing dispute is having dire consequences, as these hospitals are their homes.”

Ms. Carroll says she echoes the concern already expressed by the Mental Health Commission about the dispute and hopes that there will be no further escalation as current measures are already having “dire consequences for one of the most vulnerable groups in Irish society”.  

Ms. Carroll has also responded to reports in today’s papers concerning forthcoming capacity legislation by calling on the Government to set a date for when legislation will be published. Inclusion Ireland has called for legislation in this area for many years as current capacity legislation dates back to the Lunacy Act of 1871: “Lack of progress in this area means Ireland may be out of line with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which Ireland is a signatory to.”

RETURN TO PRESS STATEMENTS