Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

Three weeks ago today, on 31 May, we discussed the Leas Cross nursing home and the unacceptable practices that the "Prime Time" television programme exposed there. Today we read that the Health Service Executive is to move all public patients out of Leas Cross and have the nursing home closed. Such a level of activity on the part of the Health Service Executive since the "Prime Time" programme is welcome. However, it cannot disguise the failure of the health authorities to act sooner regarding the home in question. The Eastern Health Board report on Leas Cross of 2 June 2004 — more than a year ago — which my colleague, Deputy O'Dowd, has obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, makes it clear that a consultant's report on Leas Cross was awaited and that future registration of that nursing home would depend on the findings of that report. The report in question was by Mr. Martin Hynes and was commissioned following the death of Mr. Peter McKenna, who was transferred to Leas Cross from St. Michael's House.

At Leaders' Questions on 1 June, Deputy Rabbitte suggested to the Taoiseach that he should make himself aware of the McKenna case. In a newspaper article on 7 June this year, the following was said about the late Peter McKenna.

He'd had a recent stroke. He was blind. And he couldn't communicate. The bottom half of his body was blackened as a result of blood poisoning. When he had arrived in Beaumont Hospital earlier that evening they discovered that he was completely dehydrated. Those supposed to be caring for him hadn't even had the wit to see that he was in terrible thirst.

It went on to say:

When he died, a fortnight later, the catheter was still there, untended, untreated, uncleaned. Almost certainly, it was the failure to deal properly with the catheter that caused the blood poisoning that brought him to die in pain.

Can the Taoiseach confirm that the Hynes report was received by the health authorities last autumn? Can he confirm that the draft report raised serious questions about the level of care in Leas Cross and also drew attention to the unusually high number of deaths of patients transferred to that nursing home from a nearby psychiatric facility? Can he confirm that Mr. Hynes's final report is very critical of the way that the health authorities inspected Leas Cross? Will he undertake to publish the Hynes report immediately?

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