Union: Remove the HSE managers

Groups makes radical call as HSE vows to punish care home abuse

Managers of HSE-run facilities for people with intellectual disabilities in the West of Ireland must be removed and replaced by a special reform team as part of a “clean sweep” response to the Árasras Attracta abuse scandal.

The Psychiatric Nurses Association made the shock claim after the HSE director general, Tony O’Brien, said that anybody taking part in abuse like that at Áras Attracta “should be afraid” of wide-reaching plans to uncover their actions — but said covert cameras were unlikely to be allowed.

Speaking after nationwide outrage grew over the scenes at the care home in Taoiseach Enda Kenny’s constituency, the PNA general secretary, Des Kavanagh, said it was not enough for health service officials and Government to simply reassure the public action would be taken.

He said he believed the HSE West managers responsible for overseeing Áras Attracta should step aside and be replaced with a reform team, arguing that current officials have failed vulnerable people. He also said that after previous concerns were raised by Hiqa over management at Áras Attracta, the only top-level change was that a long-serving manager was replaced by his deputy.

The call came as Mr O’Brien said he was appalled by what had been found, but insisted officials would act immediately to punish those responsible once inquiries conclude and redouble their efforts to root out similar issues in other locations.

The HSE chief told Today with Sean O’Rourke he was “devastated” while watching the “barbaric cruelty” with his family, and “wished the ground had opened up and swallowed me”.

“I was in Áras Attracta last Thursday and I met the three ladies who were all being abused. I stood in that room,” he said, adding that the type of footage means it was “hard to believe that group of individuals haven’t been doing this for a period of time”. He said the “callousness” showed a “psychological link with what went on in Letterfrack industrial school, in Golden Bridge”.

However, despite his anger and insistence he will re-double efforts to uncover evidence of other incidents across the country, he said using covert cameras to track down similar abuse may not be an option.

Mirroring concerns from the Data Protection Commissioner over the option pushed forward by cabinet members after the RTÉ exposé, Mr O’Brien said such actions may lead to breach of privacy cases.

He said the HSE was instead “seriously considering” sending in covert researchers and inspectors as nurses or interns in facilities nationwide, who will be able to see care levels first-hand.

The move would significantly help Hiqa, which was accused yesterday of being “hood-winked” over its belief reforms were taking place at Áras Attracta, but would need 1,000 under-cover inspectors in all care homes to have 100% accuracy.

Mr O’Brien said the potential hidden inspectors would be a deterrent as staff would never know if they were there or not, adding that “I do want people [abusing vulnerable people] to be afraid, they should be afraid”.