Advocacy group Care Champions have slammed a “lack of skill and empathy” on behalf of HSE management over the closure of beds at Cherry Orchard Hospital in Dublin, and the way in which the closures were communicated to residents and family members.
The family-run advocacy group was responding, in an open letter, to the news that the HSE plans to relocate 68 residents of the hospital in West Dublin to a private nursing home on Clondalkin.
Last week, it was announced that the Sycamore and Willow units in Cherry Orchard – which house 68 of the hospital’s 95 senior patients – are set to close to facilitate required works. A recent review found that the flooring has underlying structural issues which require immediate remedial work.
The residents will be moved for one year while works are carried out, the HSE said. Families have criticised the plans as unfair to the residents, most of whom are aged in their 80s and 90s.
Meanwhile, families of residents have spoken of their concern regarding the move, with back-to-back protests taking place in recent days, where some participants held placards which read, ‘Old Lives Matter’ and ‘Human rights do not grow old’.
A snippet of the extraordinary people of #Ballyfermot & friends standing united with the 68 residents today #CherryOrchardHospital . The constant beeps of support made it hard to make videos, please look back on page. #ResidentsHaveRights#SafeguardingIsActionNotWords pic.twitter.com/N4TrIhngFo
— Care Champions Ireland (@CareChampions2) November 10, 2023
Crowds gathering at #CherryOrchardHospital to support the #68residnets whose rights were totally ignored by @HSELive
If in Ballyfermot please come along and show your support. pic.twitter.com/lGQwOTx4UU— Care Champions Ireland (@CareChampions2) November 12, 2023
Families have criticised poor communication from the HSE regarding the decision, with one woman telling the Irish Independent that her mother has stopped eating and has insisted she is not moving from Cherry Orchard. They have called on the HSE to reconsider the decision, describing it as “inhumane.”
Day 3 of protest at #CherryOrchardHospital calling on the @HSELive to hear the voice of residents . pic.twitter.com/71KMpY2CHE
— Care Champions Ireland (@CareChampions2) November 12, 2023
Care Champions, an organisation that advocates for families and loved ones in nursing homes, and who were the organisers behind a string of protests seen over recent days, have slammed a lack of consultation over the move. The group also criticised the way the news of the relocation was relayed to residents and families – claiming that a generic letter containing the news was stuck to some residents’ wardrobes in what they called “an act of gross disrespect.”
Bernie Cahill with daughter Helen Kelly at the protest at #CherryOrchard @HSELive #PostponeDecision. pic.twitter.com/MHhBVdOy7a
— Care Champions Ireland (@CareChampions2) November 10, 2023
Other residents, they said, received a phonecall informing them of the news, while others were sent a letter.
“No efforts were made to provide information to residents in a person-centred, individual way, nor was any effort made to seek their views, as is required of the HSE under the Assisted Decision Making (Capacity) Act of 2015,” the group said.
The news that the residents would be moved to the private home in Clondalkin was communicated this month, but has been described by Care Champions as a proposal made “without any consultation of residents.”
Kim Ann & Linda Ledwig standing for mum Carmel Ledwig today at #CherryOrchardHospital
Where is the Assisted Decision Making Leglislation! Laws do not work or protect if not used. pic.twitter.com/7SmB5bhRge— Care Champions Ireland (@CareChampions2) November 10, 2023
“We are highly critical of the lack of skill and empathy of HSE management in their actions on this matter to date,” the group said in a statement.
“It has been left to families to point out to well-paid HSE managers that residents are citizens with rights protected under legislation, most recently the Assisted Decision Making (Capacity) Act, which enshrines the right to be consulted and part of decisions which impact their own lives,” they said.
The group said that the approach of the HSE “once again mirrors an outdated medical model approach which views residents simply as people to be placed anywhere it suits the HSE, rather than as individual rights holders.”
Care Champions said the decision to relocate nursing home residents outside of their catchment area would disrupt the continuity of care from their care staff and from St James’s Hospital – adding that it was “stark evidence of the lack of person-centred care from the HSE.”
They said that the role of the HSE management should not be to make decisions which are easier or more cost/effective for the public service, but to provide quality, person-centred care that aligns with legislation requirements.
The group called on the HSE to answer questions surrounding the move, and asked whether the planned transfer and redeployment of staff was simply the “easiest option for the HSE, devoid of any empathy or true care for the residents who do not want to move.”
The organisation said it wanted details regarding the staff who has signed off on a relocation plan without any consultation with residents or families. In addition, in the open letter, they demanded to know if efforts were made by HSE management to comply with relevant legislation – accusing them of “excluding” care home residents from care planning.
Further, the letter pressed the HSE on what review had taken place of suitability of other units within Cherry Orchard which could have potentially allowed redietns to continue receiving care from staff they were familiar with, as they asked whether or not HIQA had inspected other onsite units to evaluate how much work would have been required to facilitate transfers within Cherry Orchard, adding that families wanted written evidence of this.
The group described a “complete breakdown of trust between residents, families and the HSE” – adding that independent input would be required going forward. The letter said that families impacted wished to meet HIQA to highlight the impact of the decision on residents. They further requested that work is carried out on a phased basis to facilitate a continuity of care for residents.
In a statement provided to Gript, Care Champions said they were “confident that nobody would like to be treated as the residents of Cherry Orchard Hospital have been treated.”
“Older people are rights holders with the same rights to make decisions as the rest of us,” the group said.
“We believe that the HSE is picking the easiest solution for the system, without having made any effort to ensure the very people who would be most affected were consulted in this process.
“They are some of the oldest citizens in the State, they contributed so much to their local communities & it is only appropriate that the State treat them with the respect and dignity they deserve.”
The organisation said it was now up to the HSE to “right the wrongs” and to ensure provisions are made within the grounds of Cherry Orchard Hospital for the 86 residents and families who have been “enormously traumatised and stressed by the HSE in the past week.”
Last week, when approached for comment, the HSE told The Irish Independent that it had “no choice” over the relocation after being ordered by inspectors from the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) to carry out works.
It added that its management team had looked at several plans in consultation with HSE Estates and HIQA to address the works required that would have allowed residents to remain on-site during completion of works.
“Following consideration of these plans, it was agreed that to ensure the health and safety of residents, to minimise disruption to residents during these works, and to comply with the HIQA requirement for a shorter timeline for completion of works in these units, Sycamore and Willow will close for a period for minimum of 12 months to facilitate the works required for regulatory compliance,” it said in a statement given to the newspaper.