Ombudsman review sought

THE long-running saga concerning allegations about the care given to a deceased Alzheimer’s patient may be subject of a fourth investigation, conducted this time by the Ombudsman, despite the publication of the latest HSE-commissioned report.

A relative of the late Gerard Finn, Kilrush, has confirmed that a file in relation to his care at Cappahard Lodge, Ennis, where he died in June 6, 2007, has been referred to the Ombudsman to establish a separate independent inquiry.
Although the report does not disclose the identity of the patient, describing him as Patient X, members of the Finn family have confirmed it relates to Mr Finn, who died at the age of 69 having suffered from Alzheimer’s and angina.
The relative, who does not wish to be named, has asked the Ombudsman to examine some important information, which was allegedly not included in the latest published report, which contains 37 recommendations.
The relative claimed only three staff members from Cappahard were interviewed for the report and alleged that some important evidence, which was presented to the review team, was not included or referenced in the report. The relative described the latest review as an “internal HSE review” and claimed it is not an independent report, as it was commissioned by the HSE.
However, Mr Finn’s wife, Anne, has welcomed the latest report, stating she was confident it wouldn’t uncover any serious instances of abuse.
According to a copy of the report, obtained by The Clare Champion, the review team did not definitively confirm or deny allegations in its overall conclusion of the 400-page report.
“The purpose of the review was to attempt to establish what happened and whether any failures occurred in relation to the issues complained of. A further purpose was to identify the systems, causes of any failures identified and the actions necessary to remedy these, so as to prevent, or to reduce the likelihood, of a recurrence of such failures, as far as is reasonably practicable,” the report stated.
“The review, of its nature, was a complex process due to a number of factors including the number of issues that required to be addressed, variances in the recollections and perspectives of the staff members involved and the complainants and the length of time that had elapsed since the events being reviewed.
“Despite this, the review team has been able to identify areas of service improvement and has made recommendations related to these areas which will, when implemented, lead to improved quality and safety systems for staff and patients.”
The report stated the review team was encouraged by the willingness of staff at Cappahard and management of Clare Mental Health Services to learn from the experience. “It will be the responsibility of the local management team to ensure that the recommendations contained in the review report pertaining to local management structures and issues, are implemented appropriately and in a timely manner.
“It will be the responsibility of the Integrated Services Directorate in the HSE to ensure that the recommendations that pertain to the service wide management structures and issues are implemented,” the report added.
Over a period of time, the HSE received a number of complaints from some family members regarding the treatment and care of Mr Finn, who was admitted to Cappahard Lodge on December 27, 2005. Individual complaints received were investigated under accepted procedures and complainants advised of the findings.
The first investigation was conducted by the clinical director and director of nursing of Clare Mental Health Services and the first part of this process was the preliminary screening, which began on September 5, 2006 and concluded on January 8, 2007.
The findings were that no abusive actions had taken place, that nursing and medical care provided for Mr Finn was appropriate and that no further investigation was warranted. These findings were communicated to the family members together with the appeal procedures and contact details of the appeals officer.
According to the HSE, the appeals process was not availed of.
Following the Trust in Care investigation, the HSE continued to receive complaints from family members in relation to Mr Finn’s care.
The HSE then decided to undertake an external independent review of the care at Cappahard Lodge following concerns raised in relation to the management and treatment of patients by a number of parties, including staff.
Chaired by Dr Donald Lyons, Mental Welfare Commission of Scotland, the review committee made a series of recommendations about the delivery of care at the residential facility.
Relatives of the deceased claimed this investigation did not address their specific complaints relating to care.