Mental Health Commission urged to act on Owenacurra
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Campaigners advocating against the closure of an east Cork mental health facility have urged the Mental Health Commission to take action to ensure any alternative placement meets the needs of residents.
The commission has also been called on to use the “considerable weight of its influence” to do the best for Owenacurra residents in the wake of it intervening in the area of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (Camhs), and to publish its interim report on failings identified.
The Mental Health Commission recently published a comprehensive and damning interim report into the operation of the Camhs, due to the serious concerns it had identified so far in its review.
Owenacurra had been slated for closure in June 2021. However, following a determined protest campaign by its residents, their families, and the local community, the facility has never actually shut its doors.
Families of residents have also criticised the quality of alternative accommodation offered, as well the fact several locations are a long distance from Midleton.
Late last year, the Oireachtas health committee wrote to the Mental Health Commission, asking what it had done to enforce a service plan for the long-term care of vulnerable residents of the Owenacurra centre.
Asked what its level of engagement with the Owenacurra closure has been, a spokesperson said:
They said the commission’s regulatory power “is limited in relation to such transfers, and extends only to approved centres”.
Mary Hurley, whose sister Ann has been a resident in Owenacurra for 27 years, said her sister has been offered locations that were ward-based or shared rooms. She has made remarkable progress since moving from an insitutional setting and has gradually become active in the local community.
She remains one of the six residents in limbo without a long-term accommodation secured.
“It’s very stressful for all involved,” she said. “What’s worse is the type of accommodation and service being offered is so unsuitable.”
Green Party councillor Liam Quaide, who has campaigned for the retention of Owenacurra, called on the Mental Health Commission to issue a statement. He said: “The power of the Commission's words rightly made the state of Camhs a central focus of our media in recent days, with many senior politicians commenting on it.”
The Mental Health Commission has been contacted for comment.