The HSE says it will take three years for it’s planned decongregation of Ard Greine Court to be completed.
The issue was raised in the Dail this week, with Junior Minister Anne Rabbitte saying she’s not satisfied with the level of communication on the move, and confirming a safe guarding assurance exercise is due to commence next month.
The HSE has repeated this has been been policy since 2011, and Family Information Sessions to communicate and consult on the process took place in April.
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Statement in full –
HSE statement re Deongregation, Ard Greine Court, Donegal
Community Healthcare Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim, Monaghan, Sligo (CH CDLMS) continues to progress decongregation across a number of services including Ard Greine Court, Donegal. The decongregation programme, in place across the country as well as in CH CDLMS, is being undertaken in line with the recommendations from the Time to Move on from Congregated Settings – A Strategy for Community Inclusion report.
This 2011 report and its recommendations were adopted as national HSE policy. The report identified that over 4,000 people with disabilities in Ireland were living in congregated type settings, defined as, “where ten or more people reside in a single living unit or are campus-based”. Ard Greine Court in Donegal, established in 2008, is identified as a campus based setting. It is a Government and HSE priority to ensure that all residents in existing congregated settings are actively supported to move into homes in the community, of no more than four persons, with person-centred support that will enable them to lead the life of their choice and participate as equal citizens in their local community.
Family Information Sessions to communicate and consult on the decongregation process and plans for Ard Greine Court took place in April 2023 and were attended by multidisciplinary staff members and managers. Further communications and engagements will be undertaken ongoing as agreed by each resident. The CH CDLMS experience of previous and ongoing decongregation processes indicates that the current planned timeframe for completion of the Ard Greine Court decongregation will be up to 3 years from now.
The staff and management of Ard Greine Court, the Disability Services Management Team and the CH CDLMS Executive Management Team are totally committed to ensuring that all actions taken to support residents in the decongregation process will protect their fundamental rights.
