Mr. Pat Bergin:

No, it was care staff. Back in March not every hour of the day was covered. There was a period when care staff were dispensing medication. We found keys in the safe. That was one issue.

Another issue involved a young person who was allergic to bee stings. Some of the staff did not feel competent to use the EpiPen so they were trained up. That was the second major non-compliance highlighted from a medical perspective. I am confident that our nursing staff are rigorous in respect of prescribed medication and record management. I have no concern on that point. It was a question of the practice of the medicine cabinet and the training around the EpiPen. They were the two key issues or specifics.

Reference was made to the delay. We have challenges whereby a young person could be acting out and causing a challenge for themselves. There may be a requirement for that person to go to hospital at midnight. The question was how to balance the safety when taking the young person off campus and ensuring that he has access to treatment. It has been clearly put out that if a person needs treatment, then the person needs to have access to treatment, but we can also bring treatment on-site, whether through Caredoc or the emergency medical services. If someone requires treatment out-of-hours, the director or deputy director will be contacted to ensure the young person has access to the medical services required.

The concern previously was that people were making judgments. Some may have decided to wait until the morning and go to hospital at that stage. The difficulty with the arising unknown is an issue. We have put in place measures to ensure that if someone needs medical attention, he or she will get it. Access to that medical attention may take several forms depending on the issues, for example, when it involves a bang. I was involved in a scenario when a person thought he had broken his arm. He was willing and happy to go but we put more staff on to ensure that when the person went off campus the behaviour could be managed.