The family of Maura Reynolds, who went missing from a Bray nursing home last Christmas, has criticised the Health Service Executive's handling of the matter.
Ms Reynolds (78) who had Alzheimer's disease was last seen at Tara Nursing Home in Bray, Co Wicklow, late on Christmas Day after spending the day with her family. A massive search was launched but her body has never been found. Gardaí and her family have concluded that she drowned as the nursing home is close to the seafront.
Her daughter-in-law, Priscilla Reynolds, said yesterday that the family was very unhappy with the lack of information coming from the HSE, almost seven months after the disappearance. Ms Reynolds said she had written to, and phoned, the HSE on several occasions but failed to get a response to her queries.
She submitted a detailed list of questions surrounding her mother-in-law's disappearance but they have not been answered by the HSE. She said she had been told in February that the incident was being investigated and she would be informed of the results as quickly as possible. The family has since initiated legal proceedings against the nursing home.
The HSE has refused an Irish Times request for a copy of the incident report drawn up by the nursing home for the HSE after Ms Reynolds's disappearance. Her daughter-in-law expressed her disappointment at this but said it was not surprising as she could not get any information from the HSE either.
The Irish Times's Freedom of Information request was refused on several grounds, including the fact that the HSE was reviewing the incident and it would be "contrary to the public interest". It said public release of the incident report "could lead to ill-informed or speculative conjecture" and "would damage the HSE's ability to maintain confidentiality of their deliberative process in making decisions".
Yesterday, a HSE spokeswoman said she hoped to have a comment on the matter very soon.
