Treatment of Cregg House users a ‘scandal’

The way the families and users of a service for the intellectually disabled have been treated by the HSE is a “national scandal”, a politician has claimed.

Charlie McConalogue, Fianna Fáil spokesman on children, was describing the treatment of the nuns and users of Cregg House, Co Sligo, which is to close due to lack of funding.

The facility caters to 214 people with intellectual disabilities.

Sr Jean Quinn, provincial leader of the Daughters of Wisdom, the order which runs the facility, has said the sisters were in talks with the HSE for months, but to no avail. They are short over €1m in funding. She said she was disappointed the charity was no longer in a position to be a provider of services at Cregg House.

The order has been involved in running Cregg House for 57 years.

Mr McConalogue said the “critically important service” was at risk because the Government was not prepared to provide sufficient funding.

He said Fine Gael minister of state John Perry and Labour Senator Susan O’Keeffe last month gave assurances to families following a 2,000-strong march that the services would not be withdrawn.

There were also calls on the Government to rectify the under-funding at the facility.

In a statement, the HSE said it regretted Cregg House was no longer in a financial position to continue its work. While it acknowledged this period of transition was unsettling for service users, families and staff, it wanted to reassure them they will continue to receive the services they require.