HSE 'mishandled' apology to foster home abuse victim, O'Brien admits
The HSE's Director General Tony O'Brien has said that his organisation 'mishandled' the apology to a victim of abuse in a foster home in the South East.
Addressing the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Mr O'Brien also accepted the committee was “misled” by the HSE after it claimed the apology was given to the woman at the centre of the scandal who has been given the name 'Grace'.
The HSE, after the Irish Examiner first revealed the story, informed the PAC an apology had been given directly to Grace, but last weekend was forced to admit that no apology had been given.
At the committee, Mr O'Brien and his senior Social Care official Pat Healy, were pressed by members John Deasy and Joe Costello over the “fabricated” apology.
Mr Costello said it was hard to avoid the conclusion that the fabrication of the apology to the PAC "was deliberate".
Addressing the committee, Mr O'Brien accepted the making of an apology to Grace and her mother was “mishandled”.
He said that in considering how to communicate to Grace in the most appropriate way, the view taken was that this should be undertaken in person, in the first instance, rather than by letter.
“With this change in the mode of communication in the case of Grace it is now evident that the official HSE apology that was intended to be issued to "Grace" and to her mother was not made at that time. Unfortunately, the desire to offer a formal HSE apology was lost in the communication to the staff members who were to conduct the meeting in person with Grace,” Mr O'Brien told the PAC.
He added however, having personally reviewed the situation with those staff involved, he was satisfied that it was the intention to offer a full and frank apology to Grace.
“I wish to confirm that the HSE has since apologised officially to Grace and her mother.
This official apology has been made by the Chief Officer both in person and in writing, with the assistance of the professionals now caring for her,” he added.
Mr O'Brien, As the Director General of the HSE, informed the committee that he wrote yesterday to the 44 families, to let them know that he was unhappy with the way the HSE mishandled the apology.
“I also apologised to them for the further distress that this mishandling may have caused them or their family member,” Mr O'Brien said.
Furthermore, it is clear from both of the unpublished reports that there were significant failings in the care provided by that foster family and significant failures by the former Health Board (and subsequently the HSE) to make the situation safe, Mr O'Brien said.
“For this, I offered them and their family member a full, sincere and heartfelt apology,” the HSE boss said.
Grace was one of 47 children and adults, many of whom had intellectual disabilities, placed at the foster home between 1983 and 1995.
Referrals to the home ended in 1995 after the former South Eastern Health Board received allegations of abuse.
However, Grace was not removed from the home until 2009 and her social workers believe she was the victim of neglect and sexual abuse.
PAC vice-chairman John Deasy told today’s hearing it was feared Grace had suffered truly horrific abuse.
“Rape with implements. Horrific sexual abuse allegations. Some of the worst examples of abuse I have ever come across,” he said.
Mr O’Brien told the PAC the allegations of abuse were “of the most egregious nature”.
