HSE 'strongly urged' to keep Cork mental health centre open

The HSE has announced the Owenacurra Centre in Midleton, Co Cork is due to close on October 31, due to the building being “not fit for purpose". Picture: Stock

The proposed closure of a residential mental health centre in east Cork would be a “gravely retrograde step” for the care of the vulnerable residents, a clinical psychologist has said.

The HSE has announced the Owenacurra Centre in Midleton, Co Cork, is due to close on October 31, due to the building being “not fit for purpose".

It is the only long-stay residential and respite adult mental health facility in east Cork, and families of residents are concerned about where they will be moved following its closure.

A family member of one resident, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said her relative moved into the centre recently and was told it would be his “forever home”.

“Now, we have no idea where he is going. We haven’t even been formally told about the closure. It’s causing a lot of distress for him,” the family member said.

Change for a lot of these residents is difficult for them to grasp. And if the building is so detrimental, then why are they still there? Why weren’t they moved immediately?” 

Liam Quaide, a local Green Party Cllr, and a clinical psychologist, “strongly urged” the executive to reverse its decision.

The Owenacurra Centre in Midleton.

He called for the publication of evidence that the building is not fit for purpose, after the most recent report by the Mental Health Commission (MHC), the regulator for such facilities, did not suggest the building is structurally unsound.

“The approved centre was adequately lit, heated, and ventilated. The premises were in a good state of repair inside and outside,” the MHC report said.

Political will

In a letter to HSE management, Mr Quaide said “political will and sufficient funding are now required to retain this invaluable residential facility, day centre and respite unit in its current location”.

He said that given the “far-reaching impact” of the proposed closure, there is a need for “rigorous scrutiny” of the issues that gave rise to the decision.

“The loss of the Owenacurra Centre would also have ramifications into the future for East Cork residents whose levels of psychological difficulty and functional impairment require more intensive support than is possible from the existing community adult mental health team.” 

In a recent statement, the HSE said the building is “simply not fit for purpose”.

“We planned to refurbish the building, but as work progressed on those plans it became clear they would not be enough to bring the building to the standard rightly required by the Mental Health Commission,” the HSE said.

“In June, our own building experts warned us the building is in very poor condition, with major defects.

“They also told us that even if refurbishment took place, they could not guarantee the refurbished building would meet current building requirements or be regarded as fit for purpose.”