HSE had initial plan to move Owenacurra residents to dormitory settings

The HSE repeatedly claimed that it has handled the closure of Owenacurra in a 'sensitive manner' with the needs of those living there at the forefront

The HSE has repeatedly claimed that it has handled the closure of Owenacurra, which has yet to fully transpire with nine residents still in situ, in a “sensitive manner” with the needs of those living there to the forefront.

The HSE's initial plan for the residents of the Owenacurra mental health facility was to move them to dormitory settings in a number of remote locations, the Irish Examiner can reveal.

Last December the executive clinical director for the Cork/Kerry region Dr Sinead O’Brien dismissed suggestions that one of those facilities - St Stephen’s Hospital in Glanmire - was being mooted as a replacement facility for Owenacurra.