Dozens of placement records scrutinised

Nearly 50 adults with intellectual disabilities were given priority follow-up after a HSE review revealed shortfalls in official records relating to hundreds of people whose placements were funded by health authorities.

The details in the unpublished 2013 review, which was outlined in an RTÉ Investigates report last night, included the fact that there were no case files for nearly 200 adults with intellectual disabilities.

The examination of 1,080 files spanning a 30-year period led to the report by a senior social worker, who said some files were a “complete mystery”. Some had not been updated for more than 25 years and only contained just a single sheet of paper.