Disability service provider St Michael's House today defended a decision to send a 60-year-old Down's Syndrome and Alzheimer's sufferer to Leas Cross nursing home in October 2000.
A report commissioned by Dublin health authorities, to be published later this month, is highly critical of the standard of care provided to 60-year-old Peter McKenna who died two weeks after being admitted to the nursing home.
A first draft of the report by Martin Hynes, former chief executive of the Irish Blood Transfusion Board, was presented in August 2003. St Michael's House says that this report says the decision to move Mr McKenna to Leas Cross was appropriate.
In a statement St Michael's House said: “Mr Hynes also stated that 'to have attempted to care for him [Mr McKenna] for an indeterminate period, within the facilities and resources then available to St Michael’s House, would simply have been wrong and would not have properly met his identified care needs'.”
As Mr McKenna was a ward of court at the time, St Michael’s House was legally bound to seek High Court approval for any material change to his lifestyle or circumstances. St Michael's House say the decision to move Mr McKenna was approved by the High Court.
Following Mr Hynes's initial draft report, the Dublin health authorities felt the terms of reference of the report required extension, in particular to allow the views and experiences of the family to be taken into account.
The Health Service Executive said that Mr Hynes's second report is more comprehensive than the draft as it includes specific consultations with the family of Mr McKenna.