St Peter"s clients still waiting to get into their new homes

Families of clients residing at the St. Peter"s Centre, Castlepollard are up in arms over continuing delays to the opening of three specially adapted community houses in north Westmeath, and have stepped up their campaign to have the houses opened to their relatives.Over nine years ago, under a Transfer Programme drawn by the then Midland Health Board (now the HSE), it was decided that seventeen clients with intellectual disability would be relocated from St. Peter"s to three community houses at Rathowen, Coole (Ballinamee) and Castlepollard (Tullynally).The fully serviced houses - staffed by a roster of at least nine HSE employees - would be manned on a 24 hour basis, with a shift system in place.Families are, however, still waiting to see their relatives moved to this new accommodation.Furthermore, they are concerned that the Public Service freeze on recruitment, coupled with the country"s worsening financial situation, may leave the houses unoccupied for the foreseeable future.The HSE told the Examiner this week it is exploring the possibility of a 'phased approach' to opening and staffing the three houses.But the spokesperson stressed that the public sector moratorium and 'existing financial resources' will dictate how the Transfer Programme will progress."Promises, promises"Bernadette Dolan, whose sister Geraldine has been a resident of St. Peter"s for the thirty years, told the Westmeath Examiner that Geraldine is one of the seventeen patients due to make the move.Ms. Dolan explained that the houses, which cost over €500,000 to renovate, were to be ready in December 2008 - eight years after acquisition.'They have been idle ever since, despite promises, promises and more promises,' she said. 'Finally, after highlighting the issue in the Dáil, at Public Accounts Committee Meetings and in the media, the HSE was forced in July 2008, to commit to renovating and opening the three houses.'She continued: 'Unfortunately, the date for occupation has been an elusive one.'She said that on April 30 of this year the HSE told her that the level of staffing was not adequate to allow the transfer to take place.'Health personnel at local and regional level are waiting to receive clarification from national level on the impact of the jobs freeze.'Despite lobbying our Taoisigh, senior and junior minister for Health, politicians from various parties, and HSE personnel at senior and local level, we, like other families are still waiting patiently for these houses to open.'Reports like "Vision for Change" - published three years ago - and the HIQA report entitled "National Quality Standards", published a fortnight ago, are of no benefit to people like my sister, who are still waiting for the key in the door to turn.'The Dolan family has been joined in their campaign by other families in the same boat.On behalf of his family, Colm Brady, whose sister Mairead is a resident at the Castlepollard centre, has called on the HSE to make good on their commitments to the Transfer Programme.Mr. Brady said that he had received an informal statement from the HSE telling him that his sister - who suffers from Asperger"s Syndrome - would move to the house in Rathowen by April 2009.A Brady family statement this week said: 'Mairead received a tour of what was promised to be her future home in Rathowen over two years ago, and was even asked to choose furnishings and fittings for her bedroom on this visit.'The process foundered when it became clear that another agency was using the facility temporarily and it was unclear when the houses would become available. After protracted negotiations within the HSE in October 2008, Mairead"s family finally received confirmation that she would be moving into her new community home in April 2009.'Meanwhile, as the weeks pass by, Mairead is becoming increasingly anxious as to when she will be allowed to move into her new home.'Mairead herself has written to the HSE to explain how eager she is to move to her new home.But the Brady family are worried that with election matters and other issues dominating the headlines in recent weeks, attention to Mairead"s plight, and that of her fellow residents, may 'fall between the cracks'.'In a civilised society someone needs to make decisions to look after their welfare,' the family said."Crazy situation"Families lobbying for progress with the community houses say they have run into stone walls wherever they turn, and that to date, nobody - be they politicians or officials - has managed to advance their case.But Longford-Westmeath Dáil deputy Willie Penrose said that he recently submitted a parliamentary question to the Minister for Health and Children, Mary Harney TD, to ascertain the Government"s up to date position.The Labour man is not impressed with how the families have been left in limbo.'This has been going on for the past ten years, and it"s an absolutely crazy situation,' Deputy Penrose said this week. 'It"s becoming an embarrassment for the HSE, the Government and for everyone concerned.'It shows a complete incoherence in planning - that the HSE doesn"t appear to have the money to provide adequate staffing. When there was supposedly abundant funding available for six or seven years, we still weren"t in a position to provide this service.'Meanwhile, a Seanad query by Senators Donie Cassidy and Nicky McFadden regarding St. Peter"s was answered by John Moloney TD, Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children recently.The Minister said that he understood that the HSE was in the late stage of the second phase of the Transfer Programme, and that under the first phase, fifteen St. Peter"s residents were rehoused in 2003 resulting in the closure of the Hilltop unit.'The HSE has confirmed that it is currently staffing this phase of the programme from within its existing resources,' Mr. Moloney said.However, a recent communication received from the HSE by Colm Brady on June 2 underlined how this issue remains the key stumbling block.'Regrettably, we do not have the available staffing to open the houses, and we are endeavouring to get clarification at a national level regarding the impact of the Public Service Employment Moratorium on our ability to progress with the Transfer Programme,' the HSE spokesperson said.'There is nothing further I can add until national clarification is provided.'