Information supplied to a resident of Saggart has revealed that the HSE has said there is a high risk of the “spread of infectious diseases” from the National Transit Centre for refugees at Citywest.
The information comes through a response to a Freedom of Information request. You will look in vain for a HIQA or any publicly available inspection report as there are none. They do not inspect “emergency centres”, it seems.
The FOI request also asked for information on waiting times for GPs and referrals – of which apparently there is no record; the number of patients turned away or referred offsite – again no record; and funding allocation and budget requests which was also not granted as there is no record.
The report from the HSE which was supplied to the Saggart resident also refers to risks associated with the presence of persons in Citywest who have “ongoing mental health issues” and the pressures on Tallaght hospital due to demand for services from residents in Citywest.
FIVE RISK ASSESSMENTS
There have been five risk assessments of the “Spread of Infectious Disease” conducted at Citywest. The first was in October 2022 and the latest was on June 20, 2025.
Among the HSE teams’ remit was to assess the “Risk of spread of infectious diseases among clients within the National Transit Centre and potentially to other accommodation throughout the country.”
The risk of spread to the general community is not mentioned.
The “inherent risk” was assessed as high, at 4/5. The danger was due to “the transmission of biological agents in a congregated setting where the throughput of clients can be rapid or static dependant on availability of accommodation and governmental policy.”
“Additionally, there are multiple client cohorts of different ethnicity and vulnerabilities arriving from international locations. Resulting in a higher potential for an outbreak to cause many infections rapidly.”
As Gript has reported previously in relation to just one infectious disease – HIV – there has seen a significant increase in the number of cases directly linked to persons with the disease coming to live in the state and transferring their care from their own countries to the Irish health services. There was a 68% increase in HIV diagnoses in 2022 alone according to the Health Protection Surveillance Centre.
The “control measures” in place at Citywest include the use of biological agents and masks; use of the National Social Inclusion service which facilitates access by asylum applicants to the health services; referrals to the national isolation facility at St. Ita’s; monitoring of cases, and “Clients encouraged to attend vaccination programmes /outreach programmes provided in the National Transit Centre.”
There was also a high 4/5 rating of the “Risk of inadequate provision of Mental Health Service to NTC Residents who self-report Mental Health conditions due to access to Mental Health services being limited to emergency care for clients.”
The report also appears to suggest that Citywest is the chosen location for the “assessment and transfer” from the International Protection Office “of clients who self-report immediate need for Mental Health Services.”
‘LACK OF CLINICAL HISTORY’
This results in problems arising at the Citywest NTC with the arrival there of “Clients with traumatic experiences requiring specialized health services,” which it is implied are not available in Citywest.
It is described as an “unsuitable environment” for people presenting with a “lack of clinical history.”
“Clients with ongoing mental health issues” are then accommodated in “open congregated sleeping areas.” The lack of resources on the part of the medical staff at Citywest then leads to an “Over reliance on TUH ED (Tallaght University Hospital Emergency Department) and involuntary admission pathways.”
Among the solutions to the problem of persons with mental health conditions was engagement through “Pathway with IPAS Social Work Team to ensure that individuals are prioritised for access to suitable accommodations.”
It is also noted that staff from the United Nations International Organisation for Migration (IOM) provide “workshops …attended by HSE staff that include an introduction to Psychological First Aid.” The IOM – vastly funded by yourselves too – also has people in Citywest “working with IPAs.”
The audit report which is included, and which also provides a 4/5 rating of the risk associated, refers to the general impact of the health issues which arise and, although they do not specifically refer to them, have major impact on the community outside of the Citywest National Transit Centre.
These include: the “Risk of increased overcrowding in Tallaght University Hospital Emergency Department.” That is placed in the context of “lack of access to GP/Medical care” by those in the accommodation centre rather than the community outside.
That lack of access leads to “additional stresses on emergency services in TUH and ambulance services.” Among the pressures are “unnecessary ambulance call outs for non-emergency care.” All of which leads to “added pressure to existing emergency services and staff” and further compounds “overcrowding in ED.”
CITYWEST PURCHASED FOR €148 MILLION
The rationale for the state purchase of Citywest – as explained by Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan on June 24 – is that it will continue to be used as part of the “screening process” of persons newly arrived into the country to claim International Protection.
The HSE report indicates that significant numbers of people have been arriving into Citywest with a range of issues, and raises concerns about whether existing procedures since 2022 have been sufficient to consistently identify and respond to those problems.
The State last month agreed to purchase Citywest for €148 million from its owners.
The facility has been the cause of local controversy, and local people say it has been placed there against the wishes of, and without the consent of, the people of Saggart and local businesses, schools and other community facilities. They say that the State’s own statistics show that more than 80% of International Protection applicants are refused.
Grit has contacted Alva Glen who are the owners of Citywest asking them for comment on the HSE report.