Aras Attracta nurses working under protest

Aras Attracta nurses working under protest


Rowan Gallagher

STAFF are working under protest after the closure of a housing facility for people with intellectual disabilities in Aras Attracta, Swinford, a representative organisation has said.
Nurses in the facility may undertake industrial action in the coming month if they are not satisfied with the arrangements after the closure.
A meeting which was held to discuss the closure was in relation to staff working rights and not about the clients in the facility.
The clients who have been moved will be subject to a review from clinical nurse managers and their staff nurses, who are multi-disciplinary in their professional expertise, including intellectual disability nursing, psychiatry and general nursing.
Noel Giblin of the Psychiatric Nurses Association (PNA) has said that there has to be an independent review after the movement and claims that the HSE is not being truthful.
“It is insulting to people to call it a modern purpose built facility... in the 1970s it may have been modern but is now outdated,” Mr Giblin said.
The housing facility which housed 10 clients with mild intellectual disabilities began the process of closing yesterday June 21.
Following the announced closure of Bungalow 8 a HSE spokesperson said that there will be no over-capacity at any of the bungalows on the campus.
The HSE have issued a statement stating that there are five vacancies at the facility but this is disputed by Mr Giblin of the PNA saying that there are only two vacancies.
It was agreed that a clinical and risk assessment review of the clients would be undertaken after the movement from Bungalow 8.
“The residents and service users will continue to have a full service and will continue to be cared for in Aras Attracta,” a HSE representative has said.
Michael Tobin, General Manager, Mayo Health Services, with responsibility for Aras Attracta believes that the closure of the housing facility will not infringe on the rights of the clients and that all clients will be subject to risk assessment after the movement.