Redwood-facilty families speak out after damning report

Families of former residents of a care facility which was heavily criticised by a HIQA report have been speaking out this morning.

The Health Information and Quality Authority yesterday published a

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The Redwood facility in Stamullen caters for people with intellectual disabilities.

The high level of restrictive practice and restraint used included locked doors - both internally and doors that exited the centre - and residents being confined to specific rooms, sometimes for significant periods of time.

Physical restraint included the enforced removal of residents to designated areas of the centre, and a number of staff physically holding residents in a position.

Linda Kletzander's 26-year-old son Anthony has non-verbal autism and was in the centre for three months.

She said that before he went to Redwood, Anthony had never been medicated and was on a special diet, but that once he was there he was medicated every time she visited him.

"My son would say to please tell them stop giving him medication, that his head felt strange and his tummy hurt (but) no one would listen to us," she said.

"We tried to tell the HSE and Redwood and no one would listen to us.

"I've seen people go around like zombies in that place, medicated out of their skulls…It was horrendous."