The Minister of State for Health, Mr Tim O'Malley, will visit St Ita's psychiatric hospital today. Eithne Donnellan spoke to families with relatives in the hospital
They spend their days with little or nothing to do, some on unsuitable and uncomfortable wheelchairs. Many can't even look out the windows because the glass is opaque.
These are the conditions endured by persons with intellectual disability being accommodated in units on the grounds of St Ita's psychiatric hospital in Portrane, Co Dublin.
There is no physiotherapist, psychologist or social worker. Relatives are having to fundraise to buy specially adapted baths for the health board-run facility.
It was into these conditions that a 56-year-old woman from Cabra with intellectual disabilities was catapulted in January when her family care arrangements broke down.
Ms Ann Horgan had lived for more than 50 years with her aunt and uncle until they became ill. She is able to dress and feed herself and could live in a community setting if provided with some support, according to her sister Ms Marie Callaghan.
She said a Daughters of Charity centre on the Navan Road could provide these facilities for Ann were its budget not cut this year. "Bertie has money to get a private jet but he has no money to help people like my sister Ann," Ms Callaghan said.
She is anxious to get Ann out of St Ita's as quickly as possible because she feels she is regressing. The only thing she has to do is watch TV all day long, she said. "She is not mentally ill and she should not be out there," she said.
Mr Walter Freyne, director of services for persons with intellectual disability at the Daughters of Charity, said he should provide accommodation for Ann but didn't have funding. He said he would have to cut back on services for the first time this year because his budget had been cut.
Ms Callaghan isn't the only person concerned about family members at St Ita's. The sisters and brother of 45-year-old Ms Dolores Balfe, who has been a psychiatric patient at the hospital for over 20 years, will raise their concerns about conditions at the hospital with the Minister of State for Health, Mr Tim O'Malley, during his visit to St Ita's this afternoon.
"If these people were prisoners the conditions for them would be better," said Ms Joan McMahon, a sister of Dolores.
Ms Annie Ryan, a long-time campaigner on behalf of people with intellectual disabilities, said that despite much effort, some of the facilities at St Ita's continued to be a disgrace.
"Many of the clients are physically disabled as well as severely intellectually disabled. Their wheelchairs are unsuitable. The chairs are uncomfortable. They have little or no occupation. The window glass is opaque so they cannot even look out," she said.
The Northern Area Health Board, in a statement, said there was a high demand for residential places in community settings provided directly by the board and by voluntary organisations, and it was not yet feasible to immediately locate all intellectually disabled persons to community-based facilities of their choice. However this is the board's aim.
It added that the facilities for persons with intellectual disability at St Ita's are separate to the psychiatric services and claimed "a comprehensive and dynamic range of services and activities to meet their specialised and changing needs" is provided. The board said opaque glass was used to ensure the privacy and dignity of clients and that €4,000 had recently been spent on suitable wheelchairs.