ALMOST A year after a report was published into services at the John Paul Centre for intellectual disability in Galway, key recommendations have still not been acted upon by the Government, an Oireachtas committee heard yesterday.
The inquiry was conducted by the Irish Human Rights Commission after parents and siblings of residents expressed concern about underfunding, overcrowding, inadequate staffing and a lack of therapies and activities.
The commission found evidence of serious gaps in the provision of basic services such as speech and language therapy, as well as inadequate physical conditions.
Speaking before he addressed the Oireachtas Health Committee yesterday, commission president Dr Maurice Manning said the situation had worsened since the report was published last March. “Blanket cuts in funding and the moratoriums on recruitment have made the situation more critical,” he said.
Dr Manning said the centre’s residents faced huge challenges in having their voice heard and were extremely vulnerable to having their rights breached. “We are disappointed that the Government has not acted with any urgency on our recommendations.”
He said recommendations not yet acted upon included immediately beginning independent inspections of such centres by the Health Information and Quality Authority and increasing speech and language and occupational therapies at the centre.
Prof William Binchy from the commission told the committee that, despite repeated requests, it had not yet had “any substantive response” from the Department of Health and the Department of Education. He said the Brothers of Charity, which runs the centre, responded quickly to the recommendations, but it was coping with funding cuts.
“In addition, the Department of Education and Skills has indicated it is intending to withdraw the already limited funding for educational services provided in the centre,” Prof Binchy said.
Instead of increasing multi-disciplinary services as recommended, it appeared the HSE was proposing to cut them, he added. The centre’s psychiatrist retired last year but the HSE had not agreed to recruit to fill the position.
Prof Binchy said the parents’ group was “extremely concerned” about keeping even the minimum of services available in the centre.
“It is the firm view of the commission that the people at the heart of this inquiry must receive the support necessary to protect their dignity and worth,” he said.
