A SECOND major investigation into the running and supervision of the former Leas Cross nursing home in north Dublin is due to be completed within two months, Minister for Health Mary Harney has said.
An initial inquiry for the HSE by consultant geriatrician Prof Des O'Neill into deaths at the home, published in 2006, found the level of resident care constituted "institutional abuse".
Leas Cross closed in August 2005 shortly after RTÉ's Prime Time Investigates sent an undercover reporter into the home and found serious problems. The home was subsequently sold and has since reopened under new management and with a new name. Many elderly people had been placed in Leas Cross by the HSE or the health boards before it.
The Leas Cross Deaths Relatives Action Group, established following the publication of Prof O'Neill's report, called for a full investigation into the home. In April 2007 the Government established a Commission of Investigation into the management, operation and supervision of the home. It is headed by barrister Diarmuid O'Donovan.
Replying to a parliamentary question from Louth Fine Gael TD Fergus O'Dowd, Ms Harney said the commission provided an interim report in March and its final report is due in September. Earlier reports suggested the September deadline might not be met due to the large amount of documentation received.