James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

My point relates to the decision-making process. There are many facilities around the country that are similar to the Owenacurra centre. These are HSE-owned and HSE-operated mental healthcare residential facilities. Each facility is different and provides different levels of clinical care. A decision was taken to close the centre, but no decision was made on what should happen to the residents. Some residents have been moved to nursing home care. We have had a lot of engagement with the families involved and, unfortunately, there are degrees of disagreement between public representatives and the families involved. I think the HSE failed to plan where to locate the residents and did not put in proper work to engage with families. Before the HSE's decision was made public, people discovered in July 2021 that the facility would be closed. People were left in limbo for a number of months. The HSE has changed its story on multiple occasions, which has made it very difficult for me, as a Government Deputy, to explain the situation to people. For future reference and for the remaining residents, the HSE needs to plan properly when facilities are being closed. In this particular case, there is still no concrete plan - many months later - for what will happen to the existing residents. I believe they should be allowed to remain. The number of patients at the facility has been reduced. The remaining residents should be allowed to stay on until the HSE brings forward a concrete and decent plan.