Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this important motion on the nursing home issue and the urgent need for proper inspection procedures and quality care for our elderly and disabled. I support the motion but I urge all Deputies to be sensitive and respectful when dealing with such an important matter. There is a responsibility on all of us to act in the interests of our citizens. It is not acceptable to have people treated in an inferior manner.

Good practice, professionalism, quality care and respect for the person are the key issues in this debate. As the parent of a child with Down's syndrome and a member of Down's Syndrome Ireland, I was shocked and horrified at the treatment of Peter McKenna. This man, who had Down's syndrome, was sent home from St. Michael's House by a High Court order despite objections from his family when he developed Alzheimer's disease shortly after his 58th birthday in 2000. His family told the programme that he missed a hospital appointment during his second week at home. His sister, Mary Moore, said he was brought to Beaumont after two weeks in Leas Cross. The hospital found that he had been dehydrated for at least two or three days. Hospital medical notes stated that on admission his level of hygiene was poor and his urine bag contained infected looking urine. Peter died within a few hours of getting to the hospital from blood poisoning. That terribly sad case has moved us all and I urge that it should never happen again.

This debate must also be about family responsibility and support and the urgent need to assist our carers. Turning a blind eye to the urgent need to support our carers is not an option. I call on the Government, and particularly the Minister of State and the Minister for Health and Children, to give our carers the maximum financial support. Other former Ministers, like the Minister of State, Deputy Callely, should seriously consider their position in regard to this issue and related matters.

I want to raise the sad case of a constituent of mine and the way he was treated in James Connolly Memorial Hospital, Dublin. The family and relatives of this man were extremely distraught about the conditions in which he was kept. I have already passed the details to the Minister and I urge action in improving the conditions and services to the elderly in this hospital. It is simply not acceptable to have patients left in cold and inhumane conditions. When elderly people are treated in this manner it is a clear breach of their human rights and an attack on their dignity as a human being. I urge all Deputies to forget about party politics and support the elderly in this debate.

See this speech in context