Discussions to continue regarding unit at Áras Attracta

Further discussions to be held regarding unit at Áras Attracta


Rowan Gallagher

A TWO week reprieve has been given for discussions on the future of a housing bungalow in Áras Attracta, Swinford.
Management and Unions will meet tomorrow, June 9, to further discuss the implementation of a cost containment plan for Áras Attracta for 2010.
The bungalow is home to ten patients with intellectual disabilities and has been proposed to be shut due to cutbacks by the HSE. However cross party political pressure has led to an additional two weeks being given to further discuss the closure.
“The closure of the bungalow is both unfair on the residents of the bungalows and on the staff working in Áras Attracta. In the best interests of the residents, this bungalow should be retained to accommodate them,” said Deputy Michael Ring.
“It is totally wrong these residents should be used as pawns in a cost-cutting exercise by the HSE.” concluded Deputy Michael Ring.
A draft report on congregated settings suggested that approximately 4,200 people with intellectual disabilities are living in outdated institutions or group homes. After this report was drafted the HSE made a statement stating that they were committed to increasing the provision of community-based care for people with disabilities and had been moving in that direction for several years.
Fianna FΡil Cllr Jimmy Maloney of Swinford has condemned the move to shut the bungalow.
“It is terrible and it is hitting the most vulnerable people in the town,” Cllr Maloney said.

HSE defend move
The HSE defended its move to shut down the accommodation stating that the bungalow could be shut without affecting the standard of service in Áras Attracta.
“The clients leaving the bungalow will be accommodated throughout the complex in accommodation that is deemed suitable to meet their needs.
“This movement is possible as the client numbers have fallen within Áras Attracta and there are appropriate vacancies in which to accommodate clients leaving the bungalow. No jobs are being lost and those staff released as a result of the closure of the bungalow will join the normal staff roster at Áras Attracta. This will have the effect of eliminating overtime, which at this point is an unsustainable cost,” a spokesperson for the HSE said.
A large congregation of Swinford and Áras Attracta residents along with family members of the patients who would be affected and local councillors held a meeting to discuss plans to keep the housing facility open last Wednesday and subsequently a protest was held outside the facility on last Thursday morning to voice their opposition to the proposed cuts.
The bungalow is the second of its kind to be closed in Áras Attracta in the last 14 months.
The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) states that an individual should have an area of personal space where no other person intrudes.
“I fear the standards and regulations are being breached, but there has never been an inspection of an intellectual disability service in Ireland.
“The standards are set but are not implemented nor are the facilities to which they apply, inspected. This has led to horrendous consequences elsewhere in the health service and the same mistakes should not happen here,” Labour Party Spokesperson on Equality, Kathleen Lynch said.
Inclusion Ireland have strongly condemned the move by the HSE.
“It is forgotten that these bungalows are not just a ‘residential service’, but are the homes of people who have been forced to move. It is simply not good enough that they are being forced to move in with other people, whom they do not choose to live with, in overcrowded conditions.” Inclusion Ireland CEO, Deirdre Carroll said.
Áras Attracta service provides for 117 residential clients and 18 day-care clients. There are 119 nurses, 43 care staff, 7 maintenance staff and 11 administration/management staff working in Áras Attracta.

No Scheduled Closure
Manager with responsibility for Áras Attracta, Mr Michael Tobin commented, “Recent speculation has caused unnecessary concern and anxiety to the clients and their families. I would like to reassure them that Áras Attracta is not scheduled to close and the staff in Áras Attracta are dedicated, highly qualified and committed to providing high quality of care and ensuring client safety while maintaining the dignity and statutory rights of all their clients. All changes to the accommodation arrangements are discussed with the clients and their families and are subject to clinical and risk assessment by a multi-disciplinary team”.
Áras Attracta has been accredited for over 14 years by the Excellence Ireland Quality Association (EIQA), one of the first statutory Health Services to achieve this distinction.
Following the last EIQA Audit in July 2009, Áras Attracta has been shortlisted for the National Q Mark Awards.
Since the beginning of the year the number of clients at Áras Attracta has reduced by five according to the HSE but this is disputed by Noel Giblin, representative for the Psychiatric Nurses Association who believes the number has only been reduced by two and also disputes the validity of the Áras Attracta shortlisting for the Q Mark award.
“The National Q mark Award is a very bad parameter to judge care, Leas Cross nursing home had the Q Mark award hanging on its wall,” Mr Giblin said.
Swinford Councillor Joe Mellett expressed concerns about only one Union being present at discussions on the proposed budgetary cuts while there are three Unions representing staff at the facility.