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THE HSE HAS launched an independently-led investigation into allegations of abuse at a residential respite centre in Mayo for adults with intellectual disabilities.
The concerns were raised by the RTÉ Investigations Unit after they sent an undercover researcher to the facility for three weeks.
A number of staff against whom the allegations were made have been placed “off-duty”, a statement from the HSE confirmed.
“This action is a protective measure both for the residents and the staff concerned and is done without prejudice to the staff members until the results of the investigation are known,” the statement continued.
Appropriate measures have been taken so that staffing levels will be maintained to deliver safe care.
A garda spokesperson confirmed that they are also investigating the allegations, and they are liaising with both the HSE and Hiqa.
The HSE’s National Director for Social Care, Pat Healy, said:
The allegations made to the HSE are of a serious nature and include “slapping” and “forced feeding”.Actions such as this, should they be proved to be founded, are wholly unacceptable in any facility that provides care to vulnerable people.
The centre, Áras Attracta in Swinford, Co Mayo, had previously come to the attention of authorities.
In July, Hiqa inspectors found that mealtime was “unsatisfactory and did not promote dignity, choice, respect or promote independence”.
The unannounced inspection was launched by HIQA after it said it received a number of unsolicited complaints about the home.
The sudden death of a man at the centre in 2012 was under investigation by gardaí.
First published 1.36 pm
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As an employee for a similar based situation I feel it’s vital cameras are installed in these environments. I know it goes against privacy issues but it will keep residents safe and also workers safe. I sometimes have to work on my own with 4 clients. However I feel uncomfortable as I have no protection for me. Sometimes bruises/scrapes/cuts appear for reasons unknown and this is the tricky part to working in these environments. On an occasion as such I have no witness to say that it was or wasn’t me who caused these injuries or was it a fall or elliptic fit (it’s not me) but who is to say..(only me) Insufficent staffing teams and lack of supervision is the key to solving this issue.. Cameras I feel are important as it shows exactly what happened and I think it would maintain safety and safe guarding for both clients and workers… I am getting out of this line of work because the pressure is way to high and the lack of support is minimal. Too many pencil pushers in these organisations and not enough ground staff to keep people safe.. Sad times
As a mother of a non verbal child with disabilities who attends a respite centre, reading these stories literally make my heart sink.
I agree with you modern day ireland, cameras would put everyone’s mind at ease. The vast majority of staff are extremely compassionate and hard working, but dealing with children/adults with disabilities is extremely difficult and the staff should be given the full support to do their job, it’s mentally and physically exhausting and as amazing as staff are, they are only human. However slapping or force feeding is abuse and should be dealt with in a criminal manner, if this is your approach to vulnerable people you need to find a job where your not in that position. It tarnishes the hardworking staff and puts families in distress aswell as damaging the vulnerable person further. Heartbreaking beyond belief to read this type of story.
I totally agree with Cameras…
As a parent of an non verbal autistic boy who uses respite services,both my wife and I spend a lot of hours worrying and talking about the present and future care of our wonderful boy. We are in need to such respite to help us give much needed time and attention to the needs of our other children who miss out on many events we cannot attend due to 24 hour attention our boy requires for his safety and well being. Such stories are terrifying but an necessary part of the learning required of society and Government to provide proper care environments for people with profound and severe disabilities. I find listening to Mr Kenny and Kathleen Lynch rather hypocritical considering how they have slashed funding for such respite services, which means the suffering and pain for families of children with disabilities continues. Those involved in such treatment will be dealt with by the law. The question I pose is what will be done to those who have slashed funding to these services ?!!!
Thanks for sharing your story Tim. I supported a charity last year who were trying to build a respite centre in Kerry and it was a great initiative with a valuable outcome. I would rather my money time and effort going to initiatives supporting respite services for people like you and your family rather than going towards ‘certain charities’ who are basically providing essential services at the beck and call of the HSE.
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These articles are the reason my son doesn’t go anywhere! He never will while I’m alive..sick to my stomach now
The problem with cameras in these situations is that some residents with do inappropriate things like suddenly take off their clothes and run around naked . Cameras may appear a good idea until clips from the cameras start appearing on the internet poking fun at the inappropriate behaviour of the residents. No cameras please as they would be a breach of privacy. Would any person have a camera in their bedroom and hand the contents of what contained on the camera to a third party. This is the comparison that applies here.
Some of these care homes are a joke and should be closed. My gran aunt died in one of them After been incorrectly lifted from her bed in a harness obviously not properly strapped in and fell. They didn’t even call a doctor until it was too late. She was an old lady but certainly didn’t deserve to lose her life like that. IMHO most of these places are set up for profit not care. Standards are shocking in some of these places
Charles, as the mother of a severely autistic son, I disagree. Cameras are needed, first and foremost.
The staff in that film weren’t under stress, they just didn’t want the residents disturbing their TV viewing!
Very disturbing and worrying for people who are in care and for those whose parents and family are in these homes :(
Prison sentence is needed here , an example needs to set , there is no difference between that and an assault out on the street !
Does it not enter peoples heads at any stage that some day they will be old and is this how you want to be treated? or would I like my parents treated like this? Its not difficult and needs no training its just called having “respect”
And the scandals continue
Don’t worry. We’ll have report after report after reports. Then enquiries and reports into enquiries. Then recommendations for the enquiries into the reports. Annnnd nothing will happen
thats thetruth!!!
In fairness HIQA seem to have done a lot since they were established to monitor standards and weed out care homes where the owners put profit before people. These unannounced inspections can only be a good thing. Every care homes’ history of inspections are also now published online giving people a chance to read them before they consider choosing a care home for a family member.
I completly agree. I work in a nursing home and hate to say but there are still a few bad ones about. The one I work in is fantastic, however the sooner the better homes are closed that put profit before people!
Jail the perpetrators and the owners of the facility.It will be a warning to others
The problem is a considerable number of careers do this job to pay the bills and don’t try or want gons any interest in their job…
*gons= to find
Alexos I presume you mean carers/healthcare nursing assistants. While they provide a valuable service there are also qualified RGN nursing quotas and management guidelines in place . It’s not the carers fault if a care home fails to meet the required standards of announced or unannounced inspections, it’s a management problem.
We are told there is a heaven and hell.I don’t know about heaven but I’m certain this world is hell.
Are all “carers” properly trained professionals? Or are some of them just people who’ve done a FETAC course, and are let loose in an underfunded, neglected and poorly supervised “service?
We don’t really care about our youth or older citizens, and the sooner we admit it, the sooner we can start to do something about it.
Yes – most carers have FECAC qualifications but carers don’t run care homes, they have a minor role – the management have huge responsibilities including a responsibility to employ nurses with RGN qualifications to supervise care staff.
*FETAC
Its a disgrace to think people who want to care for elderly or handicapped people be it physical or other can be so cruel i hope they suffer now, or have children who need care their worry will always be, Are they like ME.
Hand the care of our elderly people over to the Americans…..then they can force feed, slap and even water board them with international impunity! Problem solved!!
Thats got to be top 5 in the dumbest comments ever on here
Anyone with a child with a disability will be sick hearing about this. If you ask any parent of such a child, their greatest fear and worry and heartbreak is what will happen to their child after they have died. Who will look after them? And the sickening answer is that they will be at the mercy of strangers. Can you imagine having to live every breathing moment with that? You should try, you really should. And maybe think twice about writing such an insensitive comment again.
Thank you donnachan, such idiocy seriously! Having a child at the mercy of strangers when they verbally cannot communicate with you is the hardest part, you rely solely on the decency and compassion of strangers to care for your child whether you are alive or not, it’s heart wrenching to think that people would devalue another human being in such a cowardly fashion,
Well said Sally
Well said. It must be so hard.
Im a social care worker. I studied for 4 years to get to where i am today. I love my job and i respect and care for the adults with special needs that i support. I have worked previously in nurse led units and wud prefer be on the dole than to go back to that.. not the nurses fault but the old school mentality of managment in some not all of these places is outdated. Social models is the way forward.. organisations need to make a stand to the government with the cuts they keep making. There is no money in services for extra staffing having the mimimum we are lucky. Our profession is a trusting one by the families of the people we care for and for this trust to be abused needs consequences but all caring staff need not be tarnished with the same brush and they certanly do not need qualified nurses to stand over them. I come from a background of having a family member in residential care so that is how i work everyday.. if he was my brother thats how i would care for him etc and thats how every care worker should treat the service users in there care. Stressful is not a big enough word to describe our job including the extremly long shifts some 48hrs long.. people get stressed but there is no excuse for that behaviour EVER!!
RTE will air their Prime time investigation programme on the 9th December.
Protest march in Dublin is on the 10th December.
Coincidence?
Which one will RTE and Independant news give headline space to over that weekend?
I think you’ll find the programme is on tonight the 2nd Dec, so there’s no conspiracy and everything does not Havre to be linked to Irish fu@kung water! And in any case abuse in Care is a MUCH more important topic.
Really, I thought it was about young people’s binge drinking tonight. hmm.
https://twitter.com/RTE_PrimeTime/status/539452336276402176
Is thais not old news? I thought this was in the news earlier in the year when hiqa did a report on the place
Sure what was done about the creches? Legacy of incompetence and abuse in our ‘first world’ care
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