St Joseph’s abuse
allegations prove to be unfounded

Two abuse allegations brought to light in a recent Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) report on St Joseph’s Care Centre in Longford town have proven to be unfounded.

In a statement issued to the Longford Leader, a HSE spokesperson revealed that investigations into both claims have now been completed. “One of the allegations referred to a matter that allegedly took place prior to the resident’s admission to St Joseph’s and appropriate actions were taken to ensure that the resident felt safe, secure and protected in St Joseph’s,” the spokesperson said. “The second allegation was deemed to be unfounded.”

The spokesperson also added that “actions taken in dealing with such allegations are guided by both local and national HSE policies”.

The HIQA report, which was compiled by Lead Inspector Sheila McKevitt following a visit to the facility in February of this year, indicated that the organisation was satisfied with how the cases were being handled. “The inspector was satisfied that these were being investigated as per policy by the provider,” it said. “Staff spoken to on the day of the inspection were aware of the types of elder abuse and their responsibilities in reporting suspected abuse.”

The HIQA report also highlighted that Garda vetting was in place for staff employed at St Joseph’s.