End is nigh for HSE home in Laois as Minister confirms no more admissions

The closure of Erkina House in Rathdowney has all but been confirmed in the Dáil where a Minister has revealed that it is not suitable for upgrade and no new admissions will be made to a residential mental health facility in south Laois.

While the Health Service Executive (HSE) has insisted in a brief statement to the Leinster Express / Laois Live that no decision has been made about its future, Minister of State Jennifer Murnane O'Connor has outlined in the Dáil the future of the fully staffed community mental health residence.

Her reply to Laois TD Brian Stanley follows an extensive update from the HSE which has told the Department of Health that it is not prepared to invest in an upgrade which was indentifed prior to 2022 when the HSE  first announced the closure of the Rathdowney facility.

"The HSE has advised the Department that there are three remaining residents supported at this residence. Erkina House has provided much-needed mental health support to many people over two decades. However, it is not the type of mental health service we would build today and there are documented issues with the configuration of the building as a mental health service.

"The HSE has been actively engaging in working towards a solution that meets the long-term care. Needs of the service users remaining at the facility.

"The HSE have advised the Department of Health that Erkina House would be significantly non-compliant with forthcoming Mental Health Commission community residence standards and a significant level of investment would be required to develop Erkina House to achieve the additional regulatory standards required," she said.

The Minister referred to an independent review was commissioned by the chief officer in the HSE Midlands Louth Meath community healthcare organisation in 2022.

"The review was completed on the basis of a potential move of services to another location in Co Offaly. This is no longer an option being considered by the HSE. The review strongly recommended that the views of residents on their future service provision be the focus of decision-making," she said.

The Minister added that the HSE says the remaining residents want to move out of Erkina House.

"This person-centred management model has been undertaken by the HSE which indicated that the remaining residents wish to move to other long-term care facilities in their community.

"The HSE has advised the Department that this property is not suitable for upgrade and adaptation and accordingly no new admissions will be undertaken. The HSE has provided assurance to the Department as to the service provision for the existing residents to properly meet their needs.

"I will not go over these details as the number of people involved is so small that they could be identifiable. The HSE aims to re-provide this service and provision for community-based high support which will be managed in existing alternative mental health residences located within the integrated healthcare area.

"The HSE has advised the Department that this property is not suitable for upgrade and adaptation and accordingly no new admissions will be undertaken," concluded her reply.

Dep Stanley told the Minister that the HSE and the Department produced an ”order of merit report” on the building, looking at options. Refurbishing and extending it had a projected cost of €5.2 million," he said.

He said he was not surprised that number have dwinled.

"The current situation is that the facility is down to just two residents. This is what I predicted would happen. There were a number of meetings with the HSE and various options were discussed. We were told the preferred option for the HSE was that there would be four of these centres in Laois and Offaly, two in Laois and two in Offaly. There is already Silver Lodge in Tullamore and the one in Birr. In Laois, there is the Maryborough Centre, which was being refurbished at the time. There are up to 15 residents in that. I pointed out at the time that Rathdowney is ideal because it is at the other end of the county.

"HSE already owns the site, but what we have had since is pussyfooting or deliberately sitting it out. I do not know which it is, but no decision has been made. This is not acceptable," he said.

The TD argued that the needs of the building and that it would not meet standards have been known since 2022.

"The HSE, the Government and the Department know it. In the meantime, HSE management was clear it needed four centres, and the ideal size of those centres was to cater for between ten and 15 people because that provides the best model in terms of efficiency, use of resources and best practice for residents," he said.

The TD said the Department of Health owns this Erkina site, which has potential and it should be the fourth centre in Laois and Offaly the HSE requires for residential mental health care.

"I recognise this building needs an upgrade but if there are going to have four centres, surely one should be located in south of the county along with one up towards the north and the centre in the middle of the county, which is in Portlaoise. That is excellent; I visited it, and it is wonderful what is happening in it," he said.

He called for a defitive position.

"The most recent reply I got to a parliamentary question was that no decision has been made regarding the future of Erkina House. We need to get straight answers as to what is happening. I ask the Government to use this resource and opportunity, make decisions and put a facility in place in the south of the county. Utilise the goodwill and staff who are there also,” he said.