Mark Ward (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Yesterday, alongside my colleague, Councillor Daithí Doolin, and other public representatives, including Members from both sides of the House, I stood in solidarity with the families of residents of the willow and sycamore units in Cherry Orchard Hospital. The families I met yesterday have called for urgent action to be taken by the CEO of the HSE and the Minister to address their concerns.

As the Minister of State will know, in November last year, 68 residents and their families were told the residents would have to be moved out of their homes. Information I received in November highlighted that there were structural problems in the units. A response I received from the HSE on 14 February, Valentine’s Day, stated there were no significant structural problems. As I said previously, something does not add up here. The residents, families, loved ones and staff all need clarification.

To my knowledge, 33 residents have been moved so far and 16 remain in Cherry Orchard Hospital. Sadly, 19 of these families have since been bereaved. From speaking with families yesterday, they feel that the stress of moving, or the threat of moving, has caused undue duress for their loved ones. The majority of the remaining residents suffer with dementia. It is widely acknowledged that moving elderly residents with complex needs, including those with cognitive impairment, can cause transfer trauma and other detrimental health problems. The residents with dementia were familiar with the staff and their surroundings. In fact, the first time I heard of this issue, the information did not come from the families but the staff. To their credit, the staff were more concerned about the impact of the move on residents than they were about their job security.

Maria Stynes’s 96-year-old grandfather, John Sweeney, is one of the residents who remains in Cherry Orchard Hospital. Yesterday, Ms Stynes read from a letter addressed to Bernard Gloster, the CEO of the HSE. She wrote:

For 27 weeks now we, as advocates, have tried to communicate concerns and resolve the issues ... At this time families feel bullied and disrespected and no longer feel comfortable negotiating our loved one’s care and needs and wishes further with the current team in place.

She added that families of the residents at Cherry Orchard are deeply concerned about the impact of recent transfers. She believes these transfers were coercive and created undue stress and trauma for the residents and their families. Today, before this debate, I spoke with Maria again and she informed me that the group has evidence that the decision to close the units came from the HSE and not the Health Information and Quality Authority, HIQA. I have submitted parliamentary questions seeking clarification on this but I am hoping the Minister of State may be able to clarify it today.

The group has three requests. It asks that the remaining residents be kept on-site in Cherry Orchard Hospital in the completed safe rooms within the willow east building. I ask the Minister of State to give this proposal serious consideration. It could end the stress the current residents are experiencing. The group is also calling for a comprehensive independent investigation into the human rights implications of the process. It is calling on the CEO of the HSE to work directly with it to ensure a satisfactory solution for the remaining residents, as well as appropriate recognition for those who have passed away. I urge the Minister of State to directly address the families’ concerns and ensure the voices of the residents are finally heard and heeded by the HSE.

Care Champions, an organisation that has been steadfastly supporting families, believes that the current process disrespects the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act and lacks transparency, planning and family involvement. I previously asked the Minister of State directly to meet with the representatives of the families. So far, that has not happened. If she is sure that moving these residents is the right thing to do, at least she wold be able to stand over that view, meet the families face to face and have a conversation with them.

People with acquired brain injuries are being moved from Cherry Orchard Hospital campus’s lisbri unit. Residents are to move out of congregated settings, which is in line with the Government’s policy, but sometimes there are unintended consequences of this. I know of a family whose mother has been in the unit for 15 years. She is moving back to the family home and will get support in the home, but because her daughters cannot live with their mother, they are being made homeless. Two daughters and a grandchild will be made homeless as a result and they feel their voices were not listened to when they raised the issue with the HSE before the decision was made to move their mother from the congregated setting.

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