'Many unanswered questions' over closure of east Cork mental health facility

Members of the Oireachtas Health Committee will visit the Owenacurra facility as locals battle to save it from closure

A campaign for the retention of the Owenacurra Centre has been ongoing since last autumn after the HSE announced it was closing the centre

Members of the Oireachtas Health Committee will visit the Owenacurra mental health facility in east Cork on Monday as the local community battles to retain it.

The delegation will also visit St Stephen’s Hospital in Glanmire, following a request by Green Party councillor Liam Quaide and family members of residents of the Owenacurra Centre.

St Stephen’s Hospital is one of the main alternative mental health facilities for east Cork if the Owenacurra Centre closure goes ahead.

A campaign for the retention of Owenacurra Centre has been ongoing since last autumn after the HSE announced it was closing the centre, saying it had “no choice”.

“From our point of view there have been many unanswered questions about the closure rationale and a lack of accountability for this gravely consequential service decision," Mr Quaide said. 

"The visit gives the committee an opportunity to meet residents and family members, and to appreciate the integration of the Owenacurra Centre within the town of Midleton and the local community.” 

Mr Quaide recently submitted correspondence to the Public Accounts Committee in relation to the decision, asking that it investigate a decision to establish a new 24-hour mental health facility in Carrigaline and the procurement process involved. 

In December, the HSE offered placement to nine residents of the Owenacurra Centre in the new service in Carrigaline.

Under current HSE plans, all 24-hour hour staffed mental health placements are being removed from east Cork.

"That is completely at odds both with service norms in other parts of Cork and with 'A Vision for Change'," Mr Quaide said.

"This removal of local, community-based services will inevitably lead to an over-reliance on ward-based facilities for local people requiring these placements into the future. 

"St Stephen's Hospital, Glanmire is the nearest located long-stay mental health facility to the Owenacurra Centre.” 

However, Mr Quaide said the facilities in St Stephen’s are “significantly less fit-for-purpose” than the Owenacurra Centre, being located in a country setting with poor public transport options or connection to a town.

The other option for people from east Cork following the closure of Owenacurra would be St Catherine’s Ward in St Finbarr’s Hospital, according to Mr Quaide.

But he said both St Stephen’s Hospital and St Catherine’s Ward have received lower Mental Health Commission compliance ratings over consecutive years than the Owenacurra Centre.

He added that facilities such as the Owenacurra Centre were established so people could integrate back into their own community.

“Under current HSE service plans the opposite trajectory will apply for many people from east Cork who require the same framework of 24-hour staffed community residential placement," Mr Quaide said.

"They will be increasingly moving from the community into these institutional settings.”